How we document your child’s learning in early childhood When you read learning stories, see photos, or receive updates from your child’s early learning centre, it can be easy to wonder what they really show. Are they simply capturing a nice moment, or do they tell a deeper story about how your child is growing and learning? In early childhood education, documentation is not about proving that learning has happened. It isn’t a checklist of skills or a record of finished activities. Instead,...

Earlier in the year, we were lucky to welcome Dene Franklin to our Te Ōki parent evening. He shared what primary teachers hope tamariki can do when they begin school — not just naming letters or counting objects, but arriving with curiosity, confidence, and a love of learning. His kōrero was a great reminder that the foundations for literacy (and numeracy) start long before children pick up a pencil. They begin here — in our sandpits, story times, games, and daily routines, through rich play...

At Te Ōki, we believe that play isn’t just something children do — it’s how they speak, how they explore, how they make sense of the...