At Home
Our Story
Little Monkeys at Home was born in 2017. Our vision was to establish a small, boutique, company that offered an abundance of support to our Educators. This would be through home visits, playgroups, trips, workshops, resources and gifts of appreciation. We knew that in our teaching practices, we didn’t want to get lost in technology, plastic toys and the latest crazes on the market for our precious pre-schoolers in care. What we did want was to focus on teaching sustainable practices and encouraging our Educators to use resources that are natural or focus on the community around them with their care children to support them in making sense of their world. Growing seasonal produce in the garden, wooden toys made by a local carpenter, creating learning resources out of natural products, bush walks and exploring nature, recognizing and celebrating cultural festivals, making mud pies in the back yard and building forts with blankets on rainy days were all part of what we inspired to create and teach.
Little Monkeys at Home Values
Our teaching and learning is based around the following values:
Empowering Individual Growth: Nurture each child’s unique strengths and individuality to help them become confident, capable learners.
Child-Led, Holistic Learning: Provide an environment where tamariki learn at their own pace, fostering belonging and curiosity through play-focused, sustainable resources.
Strong Partnerships: Build positive, respectful relationships with children, educators, and Whānau, welcoming families as active partners in the learning journey.
Little Monkeys at Home Philosophy
At Little Monkeys at Home, we believe that children are the heart of our future. By nurturing their unique strengths and guiding them with care, we empower them to grow into confident, capable individuals. We recognise the individuality and potential each child carries within and strive to create an environment where they feel proud of who they are and excited about who they are becoming.
We believe in a child-led, holistic approach where tamariki learn at their own pace in an environment that fosters belonging and builds confident, lifelong learners. Our play-focused spaces are enriched with sustainable, natural and thoughtful resources that inspire curiosity and discovery. Educators are nurturing role models who lead with integrity and respect, creating positive relationships with children, Whānau, and each other. Through strong, reciprocal connections, we welcome Whānau as valued partners in their child’s learning journey.
“Tā te tamariki tāna mahi wāwāhi tahā”
This whakataukī (proverb) serves as a reminder to families that children are naturally inclined to explore and challenge boundaries, and that it is the responsibility of caregivers to guide them, not to punish them for their mistakes
Our Home. Our Family. Our Community.
We run weekly activities for our Educators to attend which include playgroups, soccer sessions, music groups and a gym class. We also offer termly trips to places of interest. Some of these trips have included a guided tour around the Wild Base recovery centre, Foxton beach, rock hunting at local reserves and a trip to the local butterfly park. Our Little Monkeys get loads of opportunities to socialise with their peers through these planned outings as well as playdates with their Educators to other Educators homes.
Professional development and training are an important part of supporting our Educators. We understand how busy they are and wanted to deliver these opportunities in a way that didn’t put pressure on them to give up their weekends or evenings. We wanted to remove the barriers so that everyone could attend and provide support in an environment that was relaxed and fun!!!
We run regular workshops for our Educators at our Monday playgroup’s. While the children engage in activities with our Kaiako, another of our Kaiako leads the Educators workshops.
These workshops are related to our policies and licensing criteria. We often have guest speakers in to support the learning for both the Educators and the children.
Some of the workshops we run include:
- Health and safety – emergency supplies and processes
- Creating sensory resources – fidget boards, instruments
- Making natural cleaning products – kitchen sprays and hand soap
- How to run their business effectively – contracts, tax returns, communication
implementing the Early Childhood Curriculum – planning, getting to know Te Whariki
Two of our Kaiako are trained facilitators in delivering the parenting toolbox workshops which provides additional resources and learning opportunities for our Educators.
We provide free first aid courses to all of our Educators. Our courses are run from our premises, which is a homely environment. People attending are familiar faces which make for a lot more comfortable learning environment.
All our Educators hold at least a Level 3 Certificate in Early Childhood Education. For new Educators who join us without this qualification, we provide full support to help them enroll and begin working toward it within their first three months. We take pride in celebrating their achievements and walk alongside them throughout their academic journey—from start to finish!
Little Monkeys at Home
10 Pascal Street, Takaro, PALMERSTON NORTH (Office)
0800 L Monkey
Our Te Whariki
Empowerment Whakamana
Early childhood curriculum empowers the child to learn and grow.
Belonging Mana Whenua
Early childhood curriculum reflects the holistic way children learn and grow.
Contribution Mana Tangata
Opportunities for children are equitable and each child’s contribution is valued.
Communication Mana Reo
The language and symbols of children’s own and other cultures are promoted and protected.
Exploration Mana Aoturoa
Children learn through responsive and reciprocal relationships with people, places and things.
Want to become an Educator?
Our Educators do what they do because they love doing it! We value the importance of giving our Educators ongoing training and support. We want to be available when you need us. Our Kaiako encourages Educators to have two visits a month with them. Our Kaiako makes contact every week with their Educators through activities and outings, phone contact or home visits. We never look at our watches to “hurry things along” because we have other people to get to. Our time is your time.
When care children reach a birthday milestone they are given a birthday gift. When they reach their 5th birthday they receive a very special Little Monkeys at Home graduation Monkey.
Want to know more? Check out our Philosophy or Contact us to chat further Link to find out more information.
Looking for care for your Family?
We value the importance in you choosing a service that is based on your needs and preferences, that is accessible and that fits with your values and culture.
Choosing the right person to look after your little one is a difficult process and we ensure we walk alongside you every step of the way. From the interviewing process right up until your child is ready to move on to the next stage of their journey………
We understand that all children are on a unique journey and that as a family, you have high hopes for their learning and development, we too have high hopes for your precious children. The ongoing support we offer ensures that we guide our Educators in fostering an environment that supports your families aspirations for your children. Our Educators are never walking alone and our visiting Kaiako maintains a high level of support.
We value Family contributions and create a personalised profile book for each and every child in care. This is a collaboration of the Educators input, the visiting Kaiako and of course, the families. The profile books are kept in the Educators homes and added to regularly. We also document their learning in an online platform – Educa, with an individual profile for each child available to families. Some of our Educators choose to document the learning that takes place in their homes on a private Facebook page which the visiting Kaiako also have access to.
All of our Educators are qualified in first aid and every member of their household over the age of 17, including the Educator, is police vetted. We comply with the vulnerable children’s act 2014 and the Homebased Licensing criteria to ensure all homes are up to standard.
USEFUL LINKS:
Want to know more? Check out our philosophy or contact us to chat further.
Haere Mai, Come Visit Us
We would love to chat about how we can meet your childcare or career needs. Email us to make a time to call into our offices or to meet our staff, to see how we operate.
