From 6 months
Our safe, calm and ordered environment grows with your tamariki, offering exemplary nursery care through to age-appropriate education and resources for our ready-to-run toddlers.
At Little Lumsden, our trained kaiako and specially designed learning environments provide nurturing care and support for all tamariki, from the early stages of infancy through to the end of their toddler years.
Our focus with tamariki this age is to provide:
an ERO-recognised high teacher-to-child ratio with ECE-trained teachers who are loving, caring and in-tune with a child’s needs and development.
a balanced approach to early childhood education with some planned teaching time and plenty of child-led experiences.
lots of outdoor experiences and active movement.
a centre that welcomes and encourages the involvement of parents and families.
Little Lumsden incorporates the Lumsden philosophy and curriculum into everyday learning, following the studies and activities carried out at Big Lumsden in a suitably simpler form. Our littlest people are exposed to the same big things through our teaching and learning priorities.
Nursery
Our nursery provides a nurturing, calm and communally safe environment for our youngest tamariki. Its high ratio of one kaiako to three babies enables teachers to form strong bonds with each child and respond to their individual routines and developmental needs.
Our experienced, nurturing kaiako work with parents to settle each baby when they join Lumsden, ensuring a sensitive, unhurried transition from home to Lumsden that fosters a firm sense of belonging, security and attention essential for a child’s well-being. Our teachers understand parents’ roles as primary caregivers and strive to complement that with compassionate communal care at Lumsden.
Little Lumsden’s shared areas for learning and exploring are balanced by clearly defined areas for the babies with dark, quiet sleep rooms and age-appropriate furnishings, toys and educational equipment to stimulate and entertain growing minds and abilities.
Age-appropriate routines have been formulated in conjunction with fully qualified infant sleep consultant Sally Cawston to ensure each baby’s health and development is prioritised at every age and stage. Families provide their infant’s own nappies, food and sleep associations to reinforce the continuity of care from the home to the centre.
Ready-to-run
Our adventurous and active ‘ready-to-run’ toddlers may have outgrown the nursery walls but Little Lumsden has plenty to offer this inquisitive and energetic group, eager to try out their increasing motor skills and burgeoning independence.
During the toddler years, tamariki make incredible developmental strides cognitively, emotionally and socially. Our fully trained kaiako work alongside our toddlers, offering the same responsive, communal caregiving they are used to while encouraging them to develop their own social and self-help skills and safe risk-taking. When a child feels safe in their environment and is surrounded by age-appropriate spaces to learn and play, they feel comfortable challenging their abilities, developing their movement skills and testing their independence.
Transitioning 'through the gate'
The lure of Big Lumsden ‘through the gate’ is a constant source of aspiration. Our younger ones become familiar with the older children from day one of joining Lumsden via daily visits to Big Lumsden.
Formal transition begins one month before a child turns three, when they spend short periods of each day joining in activities at Big Lumsden and getting to know the tamariki and kaiako. A graduation from Little Lumsden and welcoming haka as they join Big Lumsden are significant but not final as friends and siblings are welcome either side of the fence.
What People Are Saying
“Absolute treasure of lunsden that we have found for our kid. Love knowing they offer so much to quinns days and even getting him to take better naps, could not speak anymore highly about these lovely bunch of lady's!! who are Absolute gems of their trade. Keep doing what ya do lumsden”
— Max Gibson
“Lumsden has been amazing for our two boys. They've become more independent and out-going since starting there and have learned so much. Our boys always talk about their teachers and their friends at Lumsden and I know they thoroughly enjoy it when they ask why they can't go when it's a public holiday. I love the different studies Lumsden provides and am blown away when I see our boys using maori and sign language at home and telling me you can eat frogs at a restaurant in the Eiffel Tower in France!”
— Shane Medland
More on Big Lumsden
From 3 Years