BACK ROW: Mandy McKenzie holding Lysander Jasch-Baker, Tiffany Wagstaff, Emmett Bunn, Lucas Molan, Charlie Kaa'Miller, Mechelle Kaa, Haydee Smith, Boston Leyden held by Raewyn McKenna. FRONT ROW: Jasmine Coffey, Debra Turchie, Thomas Shepherd, Matilda Shepherd and Jill Shepherd.
PICTURE / PAUL BROOKS
BACK ROW: Mandy McKenzie holding Lysander Jasch-Baker, Tiffany Wagstaff, Emmett Bunn, Lucas Molan, Charlie Kaa'Miller, Mechelle Kaa, Haydee Smith, Boston Leyden held by Raewyn McKenna. FRONT ROW: Jasmine Coffey, Debra Turchie, Thomas Shepherd, Matilda Shepherd and Jill Shepherd.
PICTURE / PAUL BROOKS
Whanganui East has a new early learning centre and it's in a bright, roomy, cheerful building at Whanganui East School.
Te Puna Ako ki Totara Puku — Whanganui East Community Early Learning Centre — is run by the Whanganui Kindergarten Association in partnership with the school.
When Midweek visited lastweek, the centre had invited the school's new entrants class to join them to watch a show performed by Zappo the Magician. The kids loved him. Zappo (Paul Bates) incorporates learning activities in his magic show. He makes the whole experience fun, filling the centre with laughter.
"We opened on March 27," says centre manager Raewyn McKenna. "In the 2015 floods Putiki Kindergarten moved up here because they were flooded out. The school had this space available so they came here for six months." The building they used was due for removal under Ministry of Education rules around roll numbers. After the Putiki Kindergarten experience, Whanganui East principal Eleanore Barry and Wanganui Kindergarten Association general manager Trish Taylor-Pope got talking about using the building for an early learning centre. "Eleanore is very supportive of having a community hub at the school," says Raewyn, "With services here that support people in the community too."
In the building formerly destined to be removed, there is now Te Puna Ako ki Totara Puku, as well as a play group and a space where a SKIP parenting group meets. "So they set us up under the Kindergarten Association, but to be an all day centre, so we're open from 7.30am to 5.30pm. We're not set up in competition with kindergartens, we just provide an extended service."
While the centre is licensed to take 45 children, the roll is still quite small. There are six teachers at the moment, but with a full roll the centre will be able to employ eight.
Being attached to Whanganui East School has advantages. "We have a great collaboration with the school and this has been good this morning to be able to have the new entrants class here. So for any of our children going to the school it will be an easy transition. We take from infants to 6-year-olds."
As well as lots of indoor space, the centre has a large outdoor area for play, complete with gardens, planting and lots of natural environment.
For information on Te Puna Ako Ki Totara Puku — Whanganui East Community Early Learning Centre — contact Centre Manager, Raewyn McKenna on 027 885 5860 or email from the website wecelc.co.nz
