Centre profile: Omaka Early Learning Centre Nestled in the heart of Marlborough wine country is a rather special, purpose built, RIE and Reggio Emilia based ECE centre. Omaka Early Learning Centre is privately owned by Megan and Matt Stevens who loved what they originally saw when they purchased the centre in 2020 and have strived to stay true to the standards and philosophy already in place. Megan is an ECE teacher with 30 years experience, Matt is a jack of all trades. We are firmly rooted in our community; we have the Wither Hills to our south and the Richmond Ranges to our north, both grounding us. Omaka Airfield is just a stone’s throw away and frequently has vintage aircraft flying over our heads which inspires kaiako and tamariki alike to soar. The sky holds no limits. Our local history includes the growth of the vineyard sector (most of NZ’s wines are made here), the Airforce base and three museums celebrating the history of flight and vehicles. Nearby are societies dedicated to things like preserving vintage farm machinery. Much of this is our proud Pākehā history. With growing numbers of Māori students, with MoE support, we are initiating further exploration of local Māori culture and history. This will build on our te reo and tikanga practices that we have grown over the last four years. We are on a journey, not at speed but at a pace which allows us to be authentic in our practice. Omaka Early Learning Centre could be described as a premium centre. Outdoor spaces that are three times MoE standard size and a purpose-built building that provides amazing light filled spaces for learning. Meals, nappies and wet weather gear are provided. Adult:child ratios average 1:8 for over two-year olds, 1:4 for under twos. We provide an abundance of quality resources, including masses of loose parts, encouraging imagination to fly. Tamariki play outside in all weathers and sleep under cover on our deck. We are always working on our spaces. Big jobs recently have been a deck around one of our sandpits and extending our grass area into what was bark. We like grass and plants. Over last summer we planted many flowers in our nature garden and we have recently put in succulents for winter. Within the rooms, displays are constantly being added to or changed. As we write, Matariki is close and the tamariki are making things to display for Matariki and excited for the after-hours party and disco with whānau. In the sandpit yesterday one of our girls was preparing for harvest (raking the sand with a bush), she was preparing to harvest butterfly wings and marshmallows for our Matariki celebration. As Omaka Early Learning Centre heads towards its 5th birthday we can reflect on our journey. It has been dramatic with long Covid lockdowns followed by rapid government changes, teacher shortages July 2024 { 16 }
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