Frequently Asked Questions

We know you probably have loads of questions, and our friendly team has the answers! We’ve prepped some common ones below, but if there’s anything specific you’d like to ask, feel free to reach out to us.

  • Yes, absolutely! We would love to show you and your tamariki around. Book a free, no obligation visit today.

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  • All our services are committed to offering not just care, but real education. Some of our services are called early learning centres because they welcome under two year olds and offer longer opening hours - whereas kindergarten is traditionally for children over two years old, for a six-hour day. Whether you’re interested in a RKA Kindergarten or Early Learning centre, all our locations are licensed kindergartens, all our teachers are qualified, and we all follow Te Whāriki, the national early learning curriculum. RKA is also reviewed by the Education Review Office (ERO) to review what’s working well and what could be better, this is written in a report shared online for everyone to see. It’s all about making sure your tamariki are learning in a safe, high-quality environment.

  • All of our kindergartens offer six-hour days, while our early learning centres offer slightly longer days. Start and finish times vary depending on the needs of their community, so check out our locations for each location’s specific session times.

  • We know that each whānau has unique needs, so we’ve kept our enrolment requirements as flexible as we can:

    • Kindergarten: minimum of six hours per day, two days a week

    • Early Learning: minimum of seven hours per day, two days a week

  • There’s a lot of financial pressure on whānau right now, so when you enrol with us, we will help you to apply for government entitlements and subsidies. We are proudly not-for-profit, so unlike some providers, every dollar goes back into supporting your child’s learning. We are transparent about the 20 hours free for over-threes and don’t charge for this time, so if you’re comparing RKA with other providers, please check if their fees include or exclude your 20 hours entitlement.

    To help you compare, we’ve crunched the numbers, which show that in 2026, our average hourly fee for 3-5 year olds after government entitlements is approximately:

    • Four days a week: just $1.50 per hour

    • Five days a week: only $3.00 per hour

    This means your 3 - 5 year old could attend kindergarten full-time for just $18 per day.

    Ruahine Early Learning are open for more than 6 hours per day and have a minimum enrolment of 7 hours per day, please have a chat with your team about fees for your child.

    For tamariki aged two and under, hourly fees apply – have a chat with our team during your visit for details, as these vary between locations.

  • You won’t pay any fees for public holidays or when our kindergartens and early learning locations are closed. We also offer you up to two weeks of fee holidays per year if your child is going to be away – you choose when, and you won’t pay fees during this absence.

  • We’re open throughout the year except for public holidays, the Christmas/New Year break and a few teacher-only days. Your Head Teacher/Centre Manager will give you these details when you enrol. 

    In 2026 we open Monday 12th January 2026. Our teacher-only days are: 20th January; 29th May; 6-9th July and 25th September. We close on Friday 18th December for the summer break.

  • Unlike some other providers, 100% of our RKA pouako/teachers are qualified, we don’t call someone a teacher unless they’ve earned that title. Each of them holds a teaching Degree or Diploma that specialises in early childhood education. Our staff also benefit from regular professional development every year. This means they keep developing their skills and can better support your tamariki.

  • We’re proud to be a community-focused organisation, so we think it’s important that tamariki get involved with their community. We frequently host visitors who come to share their wisdom with us, and we enjoy getting out and about through excursions or visits to local schools. We always seek your permission before these visits and sometimes need parent help - it's a great way for you to make new friends!

  • No, your child does not need to be toilet trained. We support tamariki with their toilet learning and have nappy changing and wash-down facilities in all our kindergartens and early learning centres.

  • You definitely can - we want your tamariki to have a positive experience, and we know some children settle into new environments quicker than others. Our experienced and qualified teachers will help your tamariki settle in smoothly, and you’re welcome to stay for a cuppa while your little one adjusts. We want both of you to feel at home! If you leave and your child then becomes unsettled, a teacher will be in touch so you can decide the next steps together.

  • Starting kindergarten or early learning is a big step for both tamariki and whānau. We offer free visits so you can come along before your child starts. This will help you both become familiar with the teachers, environment, routines, and all our exciting resources and activities. Our teachers will support both of you through this transition and make sure your child is feeling confident and happy.

  • Some of our locations receive KidsCan support, while others require you to pack a lunchbox (but may provide yoghurt each day). Any location that receives KidsCan support and provides food will mention it on their location page. Pouako/teachers will give you guidance around food when you enrol, including our procedures for infants needing to be fed formula or breast milk. All our RKA services are committed to sustainability, so we’d encourage you to think about bringing food without packaging. That way, we can all do our bit to reduce rubbish going to landfill!

  • Sleep is an important part of your child’s wellbeing and development, and everyone has different needs. Our pouako/teachers will talk to you about your child’s sleep routine, and we provide appropriate furniture and bedding so tamariki can rest safely and comfortably. Sleep times are recorded and checks are made every few minutes, so that we can share sleeping information with you at the end of the day. For our youngest tamariki, our early learning centres have dedicated sleep spaces that are actively supervised, and give some space away from playing tamariki.

  • Children learn through play, and sometimes this means the messy kind!  We encourage you to send a spare change of clothes in case they get wet or dirty.

  • We take the safety of tamariki very seriously. We have policies and procedures in place, and you are welcome to view these at any time, just ask your teaching team.  All our staff follow safe practices, and our pouako/teachers have completed specialist child protection training.

  • Yes - many of our pouako/teachers have had specialist training to help support tamariki with additional learning support needs, whether that’s physical, behavioural, neurodiverse, or developmental delay. This includes training in Incredible Years, the evidence-based early intervention programmes. RKA also has a dedicated Learning & Behaviour Support Teacher and two highly experienced Senior Teachers who support our teaching teams. We can also help support you with a referral to external agencies, if you need some extra support. If you have any questions or concerns about your tamariki, please reach out so we can help.

  • The first step is to talk to your Head Teacher or Centre Manager. If your concern is not resolved, you can reach out to our CEO via alison.rudzki@rka.org.nz or call 027 507 760 and leave your details (Alison will call you back). You will find a copy of our Complaints Procedure in the Parent Information Folder at your kindergarten or early learning centre.