As we celebrated our centenary, Head Teacher Sandra Laffey was our longest serving teacher, with more than 35 years of service to the Kidsfirst organisation.

Sandy says that while much has changed, she feels that the children are fundamentally the same and despite the advances in technology, there’s nothing to compete with digging in the sandpit with their friends and the social aspect of kindergarten.

“I don’t think children have changed a lot, insofar as they’re still just children. Even though technology is something we have to embrace, they still want to play in the sandpit and water, with play dough and painting… The children are no different. It’s society, it’s parents, children have more choices because parents give them more choices. They’re more articulate… but I don’t think children have changed at all.”

It’s teachers like Sandy and kindergartens like Cashmere, that have been the foundation of this organisation for more than 100 years. And as technology keeps developing and the environments keep changing, it’s their approach to learning and development that keep Kidsfirst providing the best early childhood education in Canterbury and the West Coast.