Our Structure

Kindergarten has come a long way since the days when parents had to fundraise to pay the phone and power bills and mow the lawns themselves!

Many parents today enjoy the benefits of free early childhood education, with a small group of parents paying fees, rather than making a donation, with many administrative functions now centralised at Kidsfirst’s head office.

The size and scope of the Kidsfirst network, along with its solid infrastructure, weighty resources and professional focus are central to our success as the South Island’s largest early childhood education provider.

More than 15 managers and administration staff deliver support services to our 63 kindergartens - providing everything from professional advice and support to teachers in the field, the coordination of cleaning and gardening, paying accounts, through to ICT equipment and support, property management, and marketing.

Running these functions common to all kindergartens from a central coordination point allows us to maximise economies of scale. It also means that our teachers are freed up to do what they do best - educate and care for children - and that our parents can be involved in the life of their kindergarten in more satisfying ways, both for them and their children.

The big picture

The Kidsfirst Board sets the values and vision for the organisation, with input from the teacher and parent Board representatives and the Chief Executive.

This vision becomes reality via Kidsfirst’s five-year strategic plan, a blueprint created by the Board and delivered by the Chief Executive and her Senior Management team through a series of annual plans.

Everything Kidsfirst does is guided by its mission statement: to achieve excellence in early childhood education by ensuring that our focus is on children and their families/whanau within their communities.

The current Kidsfirst strategic plan (2007 – 2012) is informed by nine high-level goals.