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Go Bananas Childcare


Walking into the building of the newest member of the Go Bananas Childcare Centre family, you instantly feel welcome and calm. The Horotiu-based centre exudes an environment where meaningful play and learning will take place––plus there is plenty of space for children to ‘go bananas’ if they please! 

Five years ago, Go Bananas opened their first centre in Hamilton city. Now, they have four beautiful centres carrying their ethos, philosophy, and sense of community, with this fourth location opening fully in July 2020.  

Go Banana’s are inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy, meaning getting the environment right is very important. The philosophy values the environment as the third teacher, after the parents/whanau and ECE teachers, and as such should invite curiosity, discovery, and investigation. Play’n’Learn helped bring this third teacher to life with a bespoke environment plan and customised furniture

Dhruv Dogra, the general manager, started working with the Play’n’Learn team last November. ‘We gave them some ideas’ he says, ‘and asked them what they could do for us. Communication was very good, and there was no interference or anything. Everything was very transparent. What we wanted, we got. We’re very happy, it looks amazing‘. 

Within the bright, open, and inviting centre, you’ll find a knowledgeable and educated team that ‘strives to make each child’s childhood a positive and memorable experience’. They are also committed to providing a fun-filled quality education tailored to each child and their unique strengths and abilities.   

‘Our main focus‘ Dhruv tells us, ‘is we learn through play, so we have a welcome environment for our children‘. With natural, open-ended materials and equipment, the centre environment encourages the child to use their imagination in a safe but challenging way. Children can then discover and create their own world in a spontaneous yet constructive manner. The use of plants adds to the at-home feel that provides children with the comfort and confidence needed to explore freely. 

The Go Bananas team also values the diversity and cultural backgrounds of their whanau and community throughout the Waikato, celebrating different cultural events throughout the year. They welcome and encourage the contribution and participation of parents and whanau to the tamariki learning experiences and believe that whanau involvement sends a positive message of support and connection to the child and their early learning journey.   

Just as impressive as inside the walls is the outdoor space at Go Bananas. The team values their sand and water play area as a key learning space that promotes physical development, social skills, and even mathematical concepts through real-life and fun problem-solving situations. Tamariki should feel at ease in both the inside and outside spaces which supports fun and learning wherever they are.  

Thanks to Play’n’Learn, Go Bananas has been able to promote their philosophy. 

I would recommend them to anyone that wants to upgrade their centre‘, Dhruv says, when asked about his experience with Play’n’Learn. He even recommends reaching out if a centre is ‘doing a new build, or even just want to get in a few new things’.  

If you’re in the greater Hamilton area and looking for a centre check out Go Bananas on their website and take a look at their new space in the video. Just like the children will be, we’re certainly going bananas over it! 

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