Find Our Kindergarten
33 Winchester St
Lyttleton
Christchurch
New Zealand
Why Choose Us
Kidsfirst Lyttelton sits on a beautiful hillside where tamariki discover the joys of sustainable living every day.
Our outdoor spaces are spread across different levels, giving your child exciting physical challenges that naturally build confidence and capability. Tamariki love our hands-on environmental learning – pumping rainwater for sandpit play, helping in the gardens and feeding winter birds – all while developing genuine care for their environment.
Children’s creativity flourishes through play with natural and recycled resources, with minimal plastic use supporting sustainable practices. Through participation in daily environment checks, tamariki develop responsibility while ensuring their spaces remain safe and litter-free.
The Big Backyard provides a living laboratory where children deepen their connection with te taiao. Here, tamariki experience the changing seasons of their hillside environment, from misty mornings to sunny afternoons, developing a better understanding of their local ecosystem and their role in protecting it.
Under the guidance of fully qualified, registered kaiako, our tamariki engage in uninterrupted, sustainable play that develops confident risk-taking and problem-solving skills. Through manaakitanga and whanaungatanga, tamariki build strong connections within our port community while experiencing te reo Māori and tikanga in daily activities.
Every corner of this environment becomes part of your child’s learning journey, from cultivated gardens to wild spaces, creating endless opportunities for discovery and growth with regular exploration of the world around our kindy. This helps children develop a strong sense of place and belonging in our unique coastal community.
Nau mai, tauti mai – make a time to visit us and remember, you’re always welcome at Kidsfirst.
Why Kidsfirst Kindergartens
With over 100 years of proud legacy, Kidsfirst Kindergartens is a not-for-profit organisation that supports and leads kindergartens across Canterbury, the West Coast and Central Otago. Generations of South Island tamariki and whānau have passed through our gates, and we have strong ties to local communities.
Our kindergartens are down to earth places with warm, nurturing teachers with a rich range of resources and environments to explore.
One of the hallmarks of our kindys is that you’re always welcome here – whānau are encouraged to visit and stay, and take part in kindergarten life. We love it when families share their skills, and culture too – our kindergartens are some of the most diverse learning environments around, and children learn best when teachers and whānau work together.
Te Whāriki, the New Zealand Curriculum, guides our teaching and learning programmes, while the kindergarten philosophy underpins all we do. Tamariki learn through play in their own time, through their own interests, guided by trained teachers who are registered with the Teaching Council of New Zealand. You’ll often find our kindergartens located on, or near, local primary schools. Preparation for school and a smooth transition are a key part of the work for our kaiako.
Our kaiako are overseen by Professional Leaders with a focus on quality and ensuring the highest educational standards. Formerly known as the Canterbury Westland Free Kindergarten Association, Kidsfirst – and its kindergartens – consistently receive strong reports from the Education Review Office. You can read more about their assessment of our governing organisation here.
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A proudly New Zealand owned and operated not-for-profit kindergarten association with over 110 years of kiwi heritage
