When you walk through the gates of Don Buck Kindergarten it feels like home, a space where children and whānau are at the heart of everything we do.

Our passionate team – We are a passionate and experienced team with diverse backgrounds. Our team is made of fully qualified and registered teachers, as well as having other study backgrounds that include psychology and early intervention. Our team speaks English, Samoan, Tongan, Hindi and Shona.

Whānau centred learning – We value whānau at our centre, we have regular family events where kaiako and whānau can spend time getting to know each other and learning how to best support and nurture our tamariki. We love having our whānau spend time with us at the centre, having a chat or sharing their knowledge and skills with us and our tamariki.

We love the outdoors! – Our kindergarten has huge, park-like grounds. We have lots of mature, shady trees that hang over our large sandpit and lawns. We have a large paved court in the centre which tamariki love to use for ball games, chalk drawing and zooming around on our ride on cars and scooter boards. We also have a large, shaded playground that kaiako regularly rearrange to keep our tamariki engaged and challenged.

We enjoy gardening together with the tamariki and have a large vegetable garden, as well as a small orchard with feijoas, guavas and apples. Tamariki love learning how to care for Papatūānuku as we garden, discover insects and pick flowers. The fruit and vegetables we harvest together we use to bake, enjoy at afternoon tea time and for tamariki to take home to share with their whānau.

Community Connections – Don Buck Kindergarten has long been embedded within the Massey community. We have a strong relationship with Don Buck Primary, right next door. The new entrant teacher and tamariki visit with us regularly. Our tamariki also visit the new entrant class and the school for different events and celebrations. This relationship supports tamariki to transition to school full of confidence.

Learning through play – We have a large variety of quality learning resources for children to explore. Tamariki love exploring their imaginations and developing their social skills in our family corner, expressing and discovering their creativity in our art area and building and problem-solving with our huge range of construction toys.

Individual learning support – Every child is different, and we pride ourselves on our ability to support each child and family to fully participate in kindergarten life and have an amazing time learning and growing with us. We have many safe spaces our tamariki can use for a break or a rest, including our sensory corner. We are very open and adaptable and strive to find ways that kindergarten can best support your child’s needs.

Social and emotional skills – We place a lot of importance on supporting children to develop their social and emotional skills – skills they will continue to build on as they grow. When children leave for school the skills they have developed at Don Buck mean they can communicate with others, make friends, share, show resilience, express their feelings and more. These skills set tamariki up for life.

Convenient and flexible – We welcome children from 2 to 6 years old and are open from 8.30 to 3.30 pm, perfect for families needing longer days and for those with school-aged children. We are located next door to the school, sharing a large car park, making drop off and pick up a breeze. Our extended hours ensure juggling dropping off and picking up older children is easy.

All children aged 2 and over can attend for three full days free of charge. There is a small charge for additional hours. Drop in anytime, we’d love to show you around.