A milestone for Anne West Kindergarten
Kaitaia’s Anne West Kindergarten has joined an elite early childhood education group by achieving bronze award status in the Enviroschools programme.
Senior teacher Liz Tailby presented the kindergarten with its diploma on behalf of Katie Higgins, the national ECE Enviroschools coordinator, while the award itself will be presented on May 14.
Kaitaia District Kindergarten Association manager Lynda Maskell said the kaupapa of the Enviroschools programme was based on the wellbeing of the whole early childhood centre, community and eco-system.
“It’s about working out how to live so that our society and economy nourish the natural systems that give us life,” she said.
“Enviroschools gives children and young people a framework to explore real life challenges and to apply their abundance of energy and ideas.”
The programme has so far been adopted by almost a third of the country’s primary and secondary schools, and a growing number of early childhood centres.
The association’s other kindergartens, Doubtless Bay (Taipa) and Mission Place (Kaitaia) have now joined, Mrs Tailby co-ordinating the programme across all three centres.