​Something magical occurs for children who are part of the Li'l Pumpkins family.  Children and their families enter a world where they are respected, and a place where their voices are valued. Your children will explore the 100 languages such as art, dance, construction, loose parts play, mathematics, storytelling and much more.

These languages allow children to represent their ideas and theories about how the world works and how relationships work.  Li'l Pumpkins children that go out into the world have a special confidence about them - they believe they will be taken seriously and their ideas are important, and that they can change the world and be in the moment.  

Our learning resources are carefully selected to reflect sustainable practices and our commitment to the Reggio Emilia philosophy. We also strive to promote a strong, positive cultural identity and respect for ourselves, each other and our environment. We favour natural materials including glass, wood and, clay and gifts from nature for the children to explore, play and experiment with. Our extensive outdoor spaces allow children to enjoy nature, with opportunities to harvest in-season fruits and vegetables. Our tamariki leave us with a highly developed foundation to build complex literacy, mathematical and scientific learning on. Because the environment has so many possibilities, children are not afraid to take risks, make mistakes, try again and find success. Li'l Pumpkins children live outside the box where nothing is impossible - where the question "does a tree have a heart" becomes a project to explore, to argue for and against, and to prove.

​Teaching staff are highly qualified and passionate about their roles within the centre. Many staff members also hold higher qualifications such as music degrees and post graduate qualifications in teaching and the arts. Our teachers are guided by an experienced senior mentor who observes teaching practices and sets goals in order to allow teachers to reach their full potential. This has been identified by the Education Review Office as being a unique and extremely beneficial practice. All of our teachers continue to research and explore new teaching methods, and everyone is involved in on-going professional development.

As well as learning practices by our teachers, we also employ specialist staff to explore music, art, drama and storytelling with the children. These specialists are professional international artists such as Lewis Morgan (Zebong Teller of Tales) who is a fantastic storyteller.  Opportunities for learning are also provided outside of the classroom environment, such as regular trips to Tamahere School to learn gymnastics, trips to the zoo, museum or the Waikato River. We also provide a nutritional program, catered by a qualified chef.

Winner of The Westpac Waikato Business Excellence Award
Deloitte Category 16-30 Full Time Staff

Our Company Manager Lee Tulloch was a finalist in Westpac Waikato Leader of the Year 2010

Website Intellectual Property of L'il Pumpkins Early Learning, 2017.