Puddleducks Nursery & Preschool – Palmerston North
When it comes to early childhood, family is key, and Puddleducks Nursery & Preschool values family in all that it does. The small, family-focused early learning and care centre focuses on building strong relationships with whānau to provide the best learning experience for the child. They have observed when tamariki and their whānau feel like they belong, tamariki feel comfortable and confident to explore the wider world.
The Featherston Street centre, located next to the Kauri Health Centre, and near the Palmerston North Hospital, was built with serving the families of the Palmerston North health district in mind. ‘We were looking to create something very different to what the normal modular market was offering’, says Hamish Davidson, managing director of Puddleducks. To make their dream a reality, they needed to work with a team that shared their values. Play ‘n’ Learn was their first choice.
‘We’ve had a relationship for over 20 years, very much based around our own philosophy of family-owned and operated’, Hamish recalls. ‘David starting the business 20 odd years ago… we’re the same. We’ve grown with them’.
This centre was a design and build package which at the time was out of the scope of what Play ‘n’ Learn typically offered. Though, the design team welcomed the new challenge and worked with Hamish and his team from the very beginning.
‘We had a clear plan in mind and wanted to create some different furniture, a really modern and inviting space for the children, and they delivered’, Hamish says. ‘I’d recommend Play ‘n’ Learn to anybody looking to any form of centre refurbishment’.
When physical environments are developed to provide quality space and resources, teachers can provide an enhanced learning experience that is calm, respectful, safe, and inspiring. A child will then feel safe and empowered to learn and explore.
The outdoor space at Puddleducks Featherston Street is complete with a rock waterfall and a central courtyard that provides an outdoor play and learning environment year-round. The indoor space is light and airy with a homely atmosphere, providing the home-away-from-home quality that Puddleducks aims to achieve. You feel like family when you walk through the doors.
Building a new centre from the ground up can take its toll, but Hamish has great memories. ‘It was exciting building a new centre from the ground up, we could focus on what we wanted and the service we were trying to deliver at the other end’.
Puddleducks Featherston Street is one of five Puddleducks centres. Their goal is to ‘create a foundation for life’ through their ‘vibrant hub of learning’, and encourage children aged 0-5 years to follow their own interests and ideas and develop at their own pace. This centre has spaces for up to 80 children, supported by a fantastic teaching team and research-driven programmes delivering top-quality care and education. They provide all meals and cater for special dietary needs.
The staff love working in the purpose-built building, whanau feel welcome, and the children are at home. And at Puddleducks, everyone is family, because that’s what it’s
all about.
