What We Offer

All kindergartens offer 8:30am to 2:30pm sessions.

Richard Hudson Kindergarten offers 8:30am to 5pm longer day. This kindergarten does not offer morning sessions.

We have twelve kindergartens who are open all year, from mid-January until just prior to Christmas. Statutory holidays and five teacher only days will be taken during the year. These kindergartens are: Bayfield, Corstorphine, Grants Braes, Halfway Bush, Helen Deem, Kaikorai, Kelsey Yaralla, Mornington, Port Chalmers, Richard Hudson, Rotary Park and St Kilda.

At kindergarten your child will experience:

Learning for Life

Learning occurs naturally at kindergarten. Children learn through interactions with others in meaningful ways, helping them make sense of their world. Children have the freedom to be imaginative, creative and practice skills. Children learn to be part of a group and be socially competent.

Excellent Indoor Resources

Our kindergartens are well resourced to provide tools and props for children and teachers. A typical kindergarten has everything from paint brushes to digital cameras, books to laptops, drums to iPods, and magnifying glasses to digital blue microscopes. Your child is well provided for at kindergarten.

Exciting Outdoor Environments

We value the outdoors as an important learning space for children. Each kindergarten provides a range of experiences such as sandpits, swings, slides, water-play, gardening, carpentry and more. Children are challenged and supported in their discoveries. Five of our kindergartens take regular trips with their oldest  children to off-site locations to really connect with nature.

Family Involvement

When you enrol your child at kindergarten, your family becomes part of a supportive and connected parent community with the shared focus of providing the best before-school education for your children. It’s a place to make new friendships and to become involved in Kindergarten life, to whatever extent you have the time or inclination to be. We welcome families’ participation at our kindergartens.

Community Focused Programmes

Dunedin Kindergartens are intentionally situated throughout the suburbs of the greater Dunedin area. This allows families to access kindergarten in their own neighbourhood and build friendships and links with other families and the nearby schools. Children are given opportunities to connect with the wider community through outings, walks and visits from a range of people in the community.

100% Qualified Teachers

Children deserve nothing less than 100% qualified teachers!
At Dunedin Kindergartens this is our benchmark for quality. We have a high level of professional accountability with teachers being registered through the New Zealand Teachers Council and complying to the ‘Professional Standards for Kindergarten Teachers.’
Dunedin Kindergartens supports the GreatStart 100% campaign which was set for Government to recognise the benefits of quality early childhood education.

Great Value for Money

Attending our kindergartens is very affordable. All our kindergartens offer up to 20 hours free early childhood education for your child and our fees are very competitive.
All 3, 4 and 5 year old children who take all their 20 hours free entitlement with us will have no fee for additional hours. You could get up to 30 hours at kindergarten and pay nothing.

Child Protection

Dunedin Kindergartens is committed to ensuring the safety of all children attending our kindergartens. Click here to view our Child Protection Policy.