• Fantastic- Great to have my child in full days especially to prepare him even more for detachment ready for school next year
• Working out well.  My child enjoying his full day ad excited about becoming a “Big Boy” for school.
• I’m absolutely loving the changes as it has worked out well for me and now with the extended hours.  My child has coped brilliantly. 
• Awesome change.  All the kids have adapted so well to the change as well.  Lovely I must say for parents that have full days and a bit of time to themselves.
• Very good.  My child enjoying full day, not tired, learning more opportunities.  Excellent, Asolutely wonderful- Thanks

Parents at Anchorage Park Kindergarten

• 5 long mornings to work with chn for an extended time – focus on project work.
• Tuakana teina – older children teaching younger children
• Siblings can come to same sessions
• Teacher / child ratios – 1 to 10
• Pressure off fundraising due to increased funding
• More staff to help settle new children / welcome and settle new parents.
• More time to relationship build with children and whanau – especially for teams who have moved up from a 2 teacher scenario.
                    

Teaching Team at Don Buck Kindergarten

• “Really happy- my daughter feels that she is in Primary School now- more time to play and learn.”
• “I feel that the Fort Richard Road team have worked alongside with the families on these changes. I have noticed that they have managed and asked parents for suggestions on routines and programme. They have been great and also to see many children who have settled and even my own son settled. Awesome.”
• “It has been great, my daughter loves her full days and hopefully we can get some more.”
• “It’s good, kids have settled into the centre faster, well done.”
• “My child loves kindy more now. He has settled in faster with the full day but also the teachers have made the programme suit the children. That’s really cool.”
• “I like it, now I have time to work 3 hours during the days and earn some extra money while my child is at kindergarten.”
• “The staff have been really helpful with the changes. I have had my children here for over 6 years and to see how the routines have benefitted the children have made me happy. Well Done.”
  

                                        Parents at Fort Richard Road Kindergarten

• “I can see many benefits for the children and families. The more hours the children are here the more they get to learn. Families still stay and help but are now more involved in the program. I am very happy that all families have benefitted from the changes.”
• “ We have seen less behavioral problems with children been able to stay all day. It has given them more time to settle in and more opportunities to work with staff and other children.”
• “It’s been a great learning curve for us staff. We have had to move our ideas and even extend our thinking. But it’s all to benefit our children and families.”
• “ It’s awesome to spend more time with the children. There is more time and space to work on small and big projects without interrupt                    

Staff at Fort Richard Road Kindergarten

• I find the extended hours are very good with my child enjoying having lunch with the older children.  He enjoys staying all day as I think he gets more out of the day.
• We chose longer hours to help with our little girl getting ready for school hours. She loves being able to spend more hours with her friends and favorite teachers. I think the hours changing have been a great benefit to the kindy both for the parents and children.
• I have found the flexibility of days and hours excellent- I have a 4 year old who was at mornings and so was able to get morning sessions.  The full day option (we do 1 full day) is excellent prep for school.  The new staff are fantastic and changers are smooth with not fuss.  Well organized with lunches etc.
• The flexibitly of new hours has been great.  Offering the choice of 4 or 6 hours works well with parents who work so their children can stay at kindy longer.  I also notice my daughter is enjoying staying for lunch which will prepare her for school.  She is also doing different activities on the day she stays longer which is great.
• We love the new hours, very flexible which is great.  She is here for 3 full days and loves it .  She wants to stay for a full day every day.  Last week when I stayed and helped I lover how the children could chose when to have morning tea and they all sat around and chatted.  Also gives her more time to play with different children and do more art work.

         Parents at Highland Park Kindergarten

• I love staying all day at kindy- everyday cos I like it and the other playground was the old one and the digger came and made a new one.  When I stay t at kindy I play mums and dads.
• I really like staying here all day cos I like staying with the teachers.  I really like being a good girl and not hitting and no pushing.  I really like my teachers.  I really like specialist friends.  I really like playing with my friends.
• It’s great, its fantastical.  I stay for kindergarten all day.  I’m all day girl and I like to play on the monkey bars and I love to pat the guinea pigs and the rabbits.
• Goodie!! Cos it’s funny        

Children at Highland Park Kindergarten

• We have found the six hour sessions really good for constructive play and learning for our children at Mangawhai Kindergarten. We have only been doing them for three weeks now but are finding that the longer days have allowed us more time to do interesting, continued activities with the children.
• We already have had some parents requesting to change from the three hour sessions to a six hour session as they see how settled and happy the children are who are staying longer. The longer sessions have enabled us to observe children for longer periods of time.              

Team at Mangawhai Kindergarten

• Parents are more than happy with the extended hours
• Children who are staying have adjusted to the extended hours
• Those phoning in OR we are ringing from waiting list - happy about day session. Just wanting to get in earlier but now there is a waiting list.
• Some parents are already seeing benefit and are increasing child from session today or have put in a request for next term/ when the day they want comes available to go day rather than session.
• Those filling in waiting list are going for day not session.
• Can extend the programme at a slower pace, which is beneficial for the children.
• Have the whole day to continue with activities ... not just a few hours... Kids can continue and we grow their activities/learning from that.
• Children friendship have strengthened.
• Teacher child relationship strengthened.
• Parent whom children are attending  sessions– can see that leaving at mid day the child is missing out.
                 

Teaching Team at Massey Kindergarten

• Really like my son staying the day.  Was previously session
• He is learning lots, preparing for school and teaching him.  He can learn on his own without his sister.
• He is a child who requires constant metal and physical stimulation.  He enjoys being with the teachers and his friends.  He loves the activities at kindy, because he can’t do it at home because I don’t have the resources. My son cries if he can’t go to kindy… the longer the hour’s means he has more time to play and learn. 
            

Parents at Massey Kindergarten

• The positive that I have noticed from parent’s perspective is that it has allowed them more flexibility. Some parents now have a day off with their child to do swimming, gymnastics, music, etc. They still are using their 20 hours ECE but splitting it over 4 days (two 4 hr and two 6 hr sessions). Some parents have commented that the long sessions have allowed them more free time. I have also noticed that the children who are here for 6 hour days have settled very well. They are not tired and grumpy as I anticipated! They are able to continue their play for longer and are calm and focused.
• The older children are taking more leadership role with the younger children.    

Teacher at Mt Albert Kindergarten

• “Not being educationally based…and purely looking at the property issues relative to each site….it is interesting to see the difference between the KDM kindergartens and those under the standard sessional hours.
• The KDM kindergartens are so nice to enter. The general atmosphere is one where both the teachers and children seem more engaged and involved with each other  – having fun with the individual activities that the child wishes to engage in. It is quite apparent that the  lower ratios has a very positive effect on the whole learning environment.
• I have entered kindergartens when a prospective parent is there to make enquiries and the HT has the time to give them undivided attention – to make them feel welcome and to show them how it all works. It can only have a positive effect on how that parent would view the kindergarten.”
• Apologies if I haven’t expressed this well but if  I had kindergarten aged children now, I would certainly choose a KDM kindergarten over a daycare or a purely sessional kindergarten. The ratio of teachers to children is far more inviting and I’m sure that the children would learn more and feel more “loved”.
  I know that I am only a support person for their property issues – but it is very pleasant walking into these kindergartens….for what it’s worth!

                     AKA Property Assistant

• Opportunities for young children to learn from older ones and visa versa. We underestimate our 3 years olds.
• Teachers appear happier, less stressed.
• Haven't had a teaching team yet tell me they want to go back . They love and it and the children are thriving.
              

Professional Services Manager, East Area

• When I was at Laingholm the other day, a teacher said how fantastic it was to have mixed ages because they learnt so much from each other and sometimes it was actually the younger children teaching the older children! 
• Two teacher kindergartens becoming 4 teacher Kindergartens with no increase in the amount of children attending – has to be a positive both for the children and for decreasing the workload pressure on those two teachers.
• One family at a kindergarten has been able to access the 20 free and WINZ so a child with special needs and a two year old are able to attend 30 hours per week each, with only a small top up from the family.                                       

Professional Services Manager, South Area