Welcome to Willows Early Learning Cromwell
Kohikohia ngā kākano, whakaritea te pārakereke, kia puāwai ngā hua
Gather the seeds, prepare the seedbed carefully, and you will be gifted with abundance of food
Willows is a purpose built early learning centre located in Cromwell, for children aged three months to six years. Our goal is to help tamariki become increasingly competent and confident learners and communicators.
Our innovative indoor environment consists of three large learning spaces, separated by half walls. This results in a cohesive and inclusive setting, where the tamariki and kaiako can form strong relationships and thrive.
Surrounded by large green lawns, shrubs, and shade trees, tamariki love exploring and experiencing our outdoor area. The climbing frames, mud pits, and mounds mean tamariki are always busy at work, learning through their play.
Our Values
Relationships
Respect
Play
Ako
Environment
Curriculum
Our curriculum is underpinned by Te Whāriki, the national early childhood curriculum, and is designed to help tamariki become curious and competent learners. The delivery of our curriculum is varied and includes explicit moments of teaching, child-directed play, and kaiako led learning experiences. This responsive and balanced approach results in a dynamic curriculum, where we cater to all learners.
Sense of Purpose
Our inquisitive tamariki are on unique journeys and eager to learn. We provide a holistic programme which caters for the mind, spirit and soul of the tamariki, using strategies that motivate a yearning and passion to learn. We endeavour to create a setting that fosters learning through a sense of belonging and purpose, where tamariki can express their own ideas and explore freely the world around them. Our mahi is to recognise and enhance the mana of our tamariki and support them to enhance the mana of others.
Community of Learners
Our goal is to create a sense of whanaungatanga ; a community of curious learners who are able to support each other, learn from each other and grow into their potential
Learning Through Play
We believe play is the cornerstone of creative learning; when playing, children are free to let their creative juices flow. Play also promotes cognitive, social, emotional and physical development, which is why it is such a prominent part of our curriculum.
Core Knowledge Domains
As well as providing a programme that equips tamariki with the fundamental literacy and numeracy skills, our curriculum is also rich in Science, Physical Movement, Health, and Technology. The language of all these domains needs to be heard and explained so that our tamariki have the language to pin their learning on as they continue their journey to school.
Care and Nurture
Respect is an essential value at Willows - respect between tamariki, kaiako and whānau. We encourage tamariki to engage in respectful and reciprocal relationships, as well as respecting our routines, rituals and resources.
Taking Responsibility
Our mission is to inspire a generation of confident thinkers, who take responsibility for their own learning and support their peers. This value, manaakitanga, encourages tamariki to recognise and enhance the mana of others.
Our Team Leaders
For the past 12 years, James has been shaping the lives of the youth at various secondary schools around the country. Working as an English teacher, Dean and Head of Department, he has experience in not only teaching, but also management, mentoring and leadership. Having just completed his Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education, James is excited and ready to embrace this new stage in his educational journey.
The last three years, Paige has worked as a medical receptionist at Kāpiti Youth Support, a one stop shop, providing health and support services to the youth on the Kāpiti Coast. Paige finds helping the youth very rewarding and is looking forward to working with even younger tamariki. Before working at KYS, Paige was a legal secretary at Westgate and Williams Lawyers in Dunedin. You will see Paige’s smiling face behind the front desk and in the classroom in the morning, where she can put her considerable administrative skills to good use. Paige is enjoying this new challenge and has also decided to pursue her Degree in Early Childhood Education.
With over 16 years of experience, Sally is an expert in the field. Her passion for education has lead to a variety of roles in the early learning sector, including Lead Teacher, Visiting Teacher, Mentor, Manager and Owner. As the previous owner of Willows, Sally is not only the Centre Manager, but also a mentor to Paige and James, supporting and guiding them through this new and exciting stage of their life.
Our Team Leaders
For the past 12 years, James has been shaping the lives of the youth at various secondary schools around the country. Working as an English teacher, Dean and Head of Department, he has experience in not only teaching, but also management, mentoring and leadership. Having just completed his Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education, James is excited and ready to embrace this new stage in his educational journey.
The last three years, Paige has worked as a medical receptionist at Kāpiti Youth Support, a one stop shop, providing health and support services to the youth on the Kāpiti Coast. Paige finds helping the youth very rewarding and is looking forward to working with even younger tamariki. Before working at KYS, Paige was a legal secretary at Westgate and Williams Lawyers in Dunedin. You will see Paige’s smiling face behind the front desk and in the classroom in the morning, where she can put her considerable administrative skills to good use. Paige is enjoying this new challenge and has also decided to pursue her Degree in Early Childhood Education.
With over 16 years of experience, Sally is an expert in the field. Her passion for education has lead to a variety of roles in the early learning sector, including Lead Teacher, Visiting Teacher, Mentor, Manager and Owner. As the previous owner of Willows, Sally is not only the Centre Manager, but also a mentor to Paige and James, supporting and guiding them through this new and exciting stage of their life.
What our Parents say
My daughter had a wonderful 4 years at Willows and it was lovely to see her grow and develop in their nurturing environment. It’s a really friendly centre with kind and caring teachers who went the extra mile for our little one. She often asks to go back there They have meals cooked in house and were happy to accommodate her dietary requirements without any hassle.We are looking forwards to our younger daughter experiencing preschool at Willows soon.
From our first visit at Willows, we were always welcomed with a smile and greeted by our first names. We truly loved the close knit family friendly environment and the variety of activities both inside and in the large outdoor area was perfect for my busy two. Both of our children have thrived at Willows and the skills that the teachers taught them has prepared them very well for school. My children often talk about all the fun and friendships that they had at Willows.
We value the work that they do at Willows. We feel happy that our child is being supported in an outstanding environment. The Early learning centre has outstanding facilities and the children are taught how to play with each other is a supportive and friendly way
