Kindergarten turns 100

Wellington’s oldest kindergarten, Berhampore Kindergarten, turns 100 this month – and there’s a party to celebrate.

Although many things have changed about kindergartens, the core idea of giving young children rich experiences through play remains the same.

Berhampore Kindergarten began in 1917 in the Masonic Hall in Chilka Street and moved to its current site in 1929. At its opening, the first purpose-built kindergarten in Wellington was described as “bright and cheery” in the daily newspaper, The Evening Post.

The kindergarten opened at a time of rich ideas about early education and the needs of young children. It was beginning to be recognised that children deserved an attractive, light, sunny environment with plenty of space inside and outside for exploring, play, fun and learning.

Head teacher Margaret Jamieson says all are welcome at the party on Saturday April 8. “Come and celebrate, enjoy cake, party games, and entertainment and share memories. Meet up with old friends and colleagues and families, have a laugh and enjoy the happy atmosphere.’

Parent Kerry McCarty says her children Arlo and Caitlin have had awesome learning experiences at the kindergarten.

“We’ve been involved with Berhampore Kindergarten since 2012 and our children have had such a fun time there, and we’ve all made great friends from our time at the kindy.”

A former pupil, Don Churchill who began kindergarten in 1941 will cut the cake, along with Sylvie Carron, who attends Berhampore Kindergarten today.

A time capsule will be buried at the centenary event.

There is a serious message at the celebrations. Kindergarten is committed to quality and to providing an affordable education for every child, but those things are under threat because of under-funding.

The chief executive of Whanau Manaaki Kindergartens, Amanda Coulston says Berhampore Kindergarten, along with the 84 other kindergartens run by the Association, continues to offer a quality start for children, with services changing to meet the needs of today’s families.

“One of the things that hasn’t changed is the importance of qualified teachers, but unfortunately, this government does not support 100 per cent qualified teachers and so our funding has been cut. Qualified teachers are a key indicator of high quality early childhood education – something that is so important for all children to get a great start. We need funding increases if services such as Berhampore Kindergarten to stay strong for the future.”

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