Parent Login
Play. Learn. Grow.
Play. Learn. Grow.
Play. Learn. Grow.
The best little childcare in Auckland is now in Waterview. Waterview’s revitalised parks and playgrounds provide amazing opportunities for exploration and adventure from our gorgeous purpose built learning centre, so let the Rumpus begin! Children learn through play and exploration and this philosophy has guided the design of our new centre. We encourage our children to be in the outdoors as much as possible regardless of the weather and the centre is designed to allow the children to access the outdoor areas easily with great flow from the indoor to the outdoor areas.
Our outdoor learning environment features an exciting bike path, climbing walls, a tree platform and den, veggie gardens and our own invention PlayboardsTM which enable all of the outside space to be used for exciting and creative learning. We also have a key card entry system to the centre so that only caregivers have access to the centre in order to ensure the safety and security of the children. View our Parent Handbook.
At the heart of your community
The Rumpus Room is an exceptional early childhood education centre for children aged 3 months to 6 years. All age groups reap the benefits of a home like environment, experienced staff and great resources. We encourage our children to be curious, questioning and confident learners.
An extension of your family
We welcome the active involvement of parents and whanau. An integrated on-line platform allows stories and photos to be shared between teachers, parents and children. Families can access their child’s online profile and receive regular updates via email, and can submit stories as well. Events and milestones should be celebrated and we love sharing them with you. To create a stable and calm environment, strong relationships are imperative. Our three day minimum attendance ensure that our children are settled and their relationships with their teachers and peers are strong.
Time to explore
Safe but exciting play is the order of the day, and our outdoor spaces have been designed to maximize learning opportunities. We also have a vegetable garden, enabling children to get their hands dirty, learn about nature and grow produce for their meals. Waterview reserve, Oakley Esplanade and the Waterview shared path are all a stone’s throw away, so our timetable will include lots of field trips and adventures.
Nutrition and Food
Because we know food fuels the mind and full tummies equal content children we provide plenty of healthy and delicious morning tea, hot lunch, afternoon tea and late snacks. We cater for a wide variety of dietary requirements and we are very aware of the impacts of food allergies and intolerances. Please talk to us about your needs.
Our babies area is a second storey oasis with decks on both side of the centre to get all day sun and light. We wanted a space that was nurturing, safe and tucked away, nest like up in the trees, but still maintained a connection with the older children. The Nest re-uses the beautiful rimu floor boards from the old church located on the site and has a huge outdoor partially covered play space with a glass balustrade so that the children can see and learn from the older children downstairs while safe in their own area.
The nest playground features a huge sandpit and a real grass area to make sure the babies are getting all important contact with the natural environment. The separate sleep room provides a bed for each of the children to ensure that home routines can be followed and sleep times don’t need to be structured to the needs of the centre. The Nest has its own kitchen where the meals and snacks are prepared and the children can take part in baking and creating with the teachers.
The Fledglings have inside and outside play spaces which can be entirely separated off from the older children or opened up to allow all the children to come together. The Fledglings have a lounge area which can be closed off from the other play areas during sleep time and opened up fully at other times to use as additional play space.
The centre is designed to combine the look and feel of a home with great learning spaces that be changed easily to make sure the children’s interests are being reflected and the space stays fresh.
The Explorers area allows the older pre-school children to have a separate area in which to have the time and space to pursue their own interests, and some great out door play features, but again can be opened up to allow the two groups to work together or experience the different learning environments.
The Explorers will also have supervised access to the carpark area which can be closed off during periods where parents are not accessing the centre giving them more space for ball sports, biking and scooter riding.
Centre Manager
Hi, My name is Carolyn and I am the centre manager of The Rumpus Room.
I have been in ECE for the past 17 years and have been managing centres for the past 11. I have been with The Rumpus Room right from the beginning before we opened in 2012 and have loved being involved in the set up from the beginning. The journey over the past 6 years has been filled with loads of fun along the way and I am incredibly proud of the space we have created at our centres and of the fabulous dedicated teaching team we have who work so hard every day making the centres a home away from home for all of our children and families. I am passionate about working alongside such wonderful teachers and together we work hard to make our vision for our centres come to life. I live locally in Westmere with my fiancé Matt, our almost 2 year old son Freddie, who attends our Point Chev Centre, our newborn baby daughter Charlotte, and our cat Bomber! We love spending our spare time together as a family at the beach, the local playgrounds, listening to music (there is never a day without music in our house!) and on a nice summers day in our backyard with the paddling pool and friends!
Head Teacher
Jacqui holds a Bachelor of Teaching and is a fully registered teacher with lots of experience. Jacqui has spent the last 11 years working locally in Point Chev and is a familiar face in the community, she also lives in Point Chev with her husband and almost 3 year old daughter. Jacqui is passionate about creating beautiful and thought provoking environments for children to explore and learn in, in their own time at their own pace. Jacqui enjoys the arts and loves getting creative with the children in the centre. Jacqui works closely with Caroline and our older children The Explorers.
Team Leader Nest
My name is Rebecca, and I am the team leader in The Nest. I have been with The Rumpus Room since we opened in October 2016. I have my bachelor of Education (ECE) and I have been teaching for over 10 years. I have an awesome almost 5-year-old boy Cooper who is in the Explorers room. I am passionate about respectful relationships and nurture based curriculum with our little ones. I love the philosophy of The Nest which aligns with the things most important to me and is strongly based around the RIE philosophy. I love the primary caregiving role as it means strong trusting relationships with both our children and their whanau.
I feel so lucky to be a part of your children’s lives and do my part in the partnership of creating a calm, happy and fulfilling start to life.
Teacher
Hi I am Alexis and I hold a Bachelor of Teaching and a Certificate in Nanny Education. I have been working with children for over ten years, starting as an after school helper at the age of fourteen, and then becoming a full-time reliever. At the age of twenty, I went over to London to nanny for two years before coming back to complete my degree and join our team here at The Rumpus Room. I work in The Nest and am very passionate about creating a welcoming, calm environment where all the children and their families can feel at home. I have a strong reflective practice and am constantly thinking about what is the best outcomes for the children in our care.
Teacher
My name is Ashlee Hewitt and I achieved a Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education from the University of Auckland in March 2016.
Prior to this I worked as a primary educator after completing a Bachelor of Education (primary). I have been working in early childhood now for 4 years.
I wish to be an advocate for a child’s right to dream, meaning I wish to support children to achieve whatever their dreams may be. The Rumpus Room’s philosophy of learning through play ties into this as I believe that play is the way that children learn. Through play, children are given the freedom to live out their ideas and create in their own way.
I love the Rumpus Room’s natural environment, real grass, links to community and loving community / family atmosphere.
Respectful practices are a passion of mine, I relate to Magda Gerber’s RIE philosophy and believe that through these interactions children develop strong connections and sense of belonging to a center. I live with my partner Thomas and we have a dog, Charlie.
I’m an avid dress-up fan and look forward to all the dressing up events. I also enjoy a good book!
Teacher
I have been teaching for 11 years, predominantly working with 1-year olds. I am passionate about the RIE approach and letting children’s learning and development unfold naturally. I love working in the primary care environment we have here at The Rumpus Room as I feel that it is the best way for infants and toddlers to learn, as well as feel safe and secure.
I have an interest in psychology and have completed my Diploma in Child and Adolescent Psychology through Open Polytechnic after completing my Bachelor of Education at Auckland University in 2005. I enjoy documenting children’s learning and observing their language development over time.
I have grown up living on the North Shore of Auckland and now live with my partner Simon in Onehunga. My sister and her husband live on the shore and have a delightful 5 year old whom I love spending time with and going on adventures with. My brother lives in Norway with his husband and this gives us a great excuse to travel as much as possible. I have had fun exploring parts of Europe and America throughout the years – I have attempted an official OE but was very homesick and realised New Zealand is where I belong.
I enjoy going for walks and exploring new places with family and friends and I have a passion for art history, in particular the Impressionist era and my favourite artist is Degas. I am an avid reader and hope that I can pass this passion on to young children.
I feel privileged to work with the children and families of the Rumpus Room and the amazing team we have built up. I look forward to continuing this journey for years to come.
Teacher
I finished my Bachelor of Education, specializing in ECE, at the University of Auckland at the end of 2017 and now work fulltime in The Fledglings at Waterview.
I started at the Rumpus Room in 2016 where I did my second-year practicum in the Nest at Pt Chev and have been relieving part time and full time at both of the Pt Chev and Waterview Centres in the Nest and in the Fledglings and Explorers while I completed my studies.
I have a passion and belief in the RIE philosophy, I am also passionate about providing an element of risk in children’s play through provocations in the outside environment to build children’s confidence in their own bodies. I love playing soccer and I have been playing since I was 6, I play at Western Springs Football Club and I’m involved in setting up the junior football league.
I love to travel and have a huge love of music and going to concerts.
I look forward to getting to know all of the families and children at the Rumpus Room and seeing where the learning journey can take us.
Teacher
Kia ora! My name is Kimberley Ooi and I am a qualified graduate in a Bachelors of Early Childhood Education, from the University of Auckland. I started working at The Rumpus Room in 2016 and have thoroughly enjoyed working alongside the children and the other kaiako from both Waterview and Point Chev.
Within my practice, I am deeply interested in the development and learning of children and how the physical side of learning can help promote a child’s emotional and mental wellbeing. I love to help promote children taking on challenges within their play, to promote their view of themselves as capable and confident learners. I fully believe in the idea of teaching and working alongside children with a respectful practice and giving children the time and space to feel safe enough to take risks.
In my spare time I love to go outdoors, and go on hikes and walks around Auckland, this love of the outdoors has influenced my practice as I believe it enables an individual to push and test their limits in unique ways, and when they achieve something it helps develop a positive self image. I believe the outdoors and play in the outdoors is a great way to help develop learning of ones self.
Outside of this I also love spending time with my family. I am the youngest of a family of 5 where there is my mum, my dad, and my two sisters, Amanda and Nikki. I also have a partner called Kenji and a beautiful nephew and niece called Jake and Addison. As a family, we love coming together and eating food! I am a massive foodie, and my family own a restaurant in New Lynn called Bunga Raya.
I really look forward to meeting all the children and their whanau, getting to know all the different cultures of each family, and building great relationships with you all!
Teacher
Bula Vinaka
My name is Mabel, I was born and raised in Fiji. My husband and I moved here in 2006. I am of European and Fijian descent. We have four young gentlemen, the eldest is in his final year of high school and my youngest starts intermediate next year. I worked in the hospitality industry in Fiji before moving here to New Zealand. I started working as a reliever for Randstad and soon found myself working permanently at The Rumpus Room, Point Chevalier. I have now been with The Rumpus Room for four years now starting at the Point Chevalier centre then moving here to start the Waterview Nest team.
I have always loved working with children. I bring with me many years of experience as well as having my own which has helped me understand and appreciate the tamariki.
I look forward to meeting you and your tamariki on your journey through their early years in life.
Ka kite, Ni sa Moce,
Mabel.
Teacher
My name is Shareen Khan. I have been working with children for the past ten years. I have a Bachelor in Education, specialising in ECE. I studied at Auckland University of Technology, at the Akoranga campus and graduated back in 2011. I am one of teachers in the Explorers. I have a passion for working with preschoolers, they are so open, positive and enthusiastic. I believe there is so much to learn from them. I love teaching and nurturing this age group. My daughter Aaliyah also attends the Rumpus Room, you will most likely see her pottering around somewhere in the Fledglings room. We live on Alford Street, so you can almost see our house from the Centre. I love our community and the area. Some of my favourite things to do are painting, going for long walks and my happy place at home is definitely being in the kitchen.
