Tararua Educare weaves together the best elements of a town and country upbringing

A trip to a farm to see a newborn baby foal followed in the same week by a visit down to the town centre to see the new ambulance may sound like a dream come true for most children aged three to five years old, but they are par for course for students at Tararua Educare.

The Levin-based learning centre likes to bring together different elements of town and country life, based around their Papatūānuku-based philosophy, which encourages children to learn about sustainability and fosters in them a strong sense of independence and self-reliance.

As sister school to the famed Country Educare, the only childcare centre in this part of the country based on a 60 acre farm, the children alternate between the best experiences for a growing mind that the town has to offer and the rich world of experiences available to them from a farming upbringing.

These regular excursions help to teach children about the life cycle on the farm, through such activities as feeding the animals, riding ponies, learning about food production, and viewing the trucks, tractors and other forms of farm machinery in action. The centre is centrally located in Levin, meaning a trip to town is always a possibility. ‘We go out all the time,’ says owner-manager Gemma

McKay. Tararua Educare likes to welcome new cultures – there are currently over eight nationalities of children attending the centre, looked after by fully qualified and registered teachers who are New Zealand sign language trained. Community relationships are strong due to the regular excursions to the local rest homes, town and the many parks and reserves that Taitoko has to offer. At Tararua Educare, the children play and learn about the many values an enviro school has to teach. This includes growing their own food for morning and afternoon tea. The centre also has its own rainwater catchment, so that the children can learn about the important uses of rainwater. Such a focus really helps to foster independence at a young age, and helps them make decisions, even down to prioritising what they should eat first in their lunchbox. While there is currently a long waiting list for Country Educare, Tararua Educare has a window open with up to eight spaces available, solely due to the fact that a number of children have recently graduated to primary school.

Due to the small size, enrolments are still limited, so please contact Gemma at tararua.educare@xtra.co.nz for more information.