Kidsfirst Kindergartens is a not-for-profit early childhood education provider with nearly 70 kindergartens throughout Canterbury, the West Coast and Central Otago. We have been serving tamariki, whānau and communities for more than a century now, making us one of New Zealand’s most enduring early childhood organisations.
Our strength is in numbers – our kindergartens enjoy the benefits of strategic, efficient, cost-effective management and administration. In turn, they are able to do more for tamariki, whānau and communities, allowing us to invest in ensuring kindergarten remains an option for future generations.
Each of our kindergartens is different. However, they share some common characteristics that lie at the heart of Kidsfirst: Our not-for-profit status, which means the only beneficiaries are tamariki and whānau, our strong values base, the learning-through-play philosophy, a commitment to the highest levels of professionalism, and a passion for life-long learning that hasn’t changed over the years.
Our story dates back to 1911 when our first kindergarten, Sunbeam, opened its gates to our youngest learners. Since then, we have grown substantially, but never forgotten our roots, or how we have provided a place for fun and learning for generations of kiwi kindy kids.
