Welcome Back To Kindergarten

Kindergartens Aotearoa welcomes the announcement that we are moving to Covid-19 Level 2 - we are ready to welcome all our children and families next week, with extra health measures in place for everyone’s safety.

Kindergartens have already been open for children who needed to come, and families at home have been supported with distance learning.

We encourage everyone to come back at Level 2, and we are following health advice to provide a safe environment for everyone.

Kindergartens Aotearoa is a collective of eight regional kindergarten associations around the country that operate 365 kindergartens and other early childhood education services catering for 18,500 children and employing 2,300 teaching, advisory and support staff.

Spokesperson Amanda Coulston says the past few weeks have been stressful for many families, and returning to regular routines is important for children’s learning.

“We recognise that returning to kindergarten may be unsettling for some children but our teachers are skilled and experienced at settling children and helping them make sense of the world and of their experiences and feelings.”

Families have done an amazing job of supporting their children and providing learning experiences at home, often under difficult circumstances, and without the chance to meet up with friends or visit attractions such as playgrounds.

Throughout Covid -19 levels 3 and 4 our kindergartens have remained in touch with our families, and shared their children’s learning and experiences. A small number of children have physically attended kindergarten under level 3.

We will continue to offer a programme to children who cannot return under level 2, for health or other reasons.

“We are keen to help New Zealand as we move into the recovery phase from Covid-19 while remaining alert to the need to safeguard health by taking extra precautions.”

The kindergarten movement has a proud history of serving children, families and society and we are keen to continue our work.

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