Eden Cottage
Eden Cottage is now 40 years old. On 24 November 2023, a celebration afternoon tea was held with many past staff, parents and pupils attending.
A major change during the past year has been the introduction of a Fees-Free policy. From April 2024, children can attend Eden Cottage for up to 37.5 hours per week at no charge. This has resulted in a growing number of enquiries as many families in our community are feeling the pinch and any means of economising is welcomed.
After a number of staff changes last year, we added yet another qualified teacher this year and had a change of administrator. At a time when most early childhood centres, including Eden Cottage, are finding recruitment of teaching staff challenging, it’s great to have teachers of the high calibre that we do. Our teachers are committed to their roles and the entire team has grown in an understanding of embedding our Visionwest values into our education, which adds to the positive and rich environment that Eden Cottage is for our children.
For the children, and to connect with the wider community, we have initiated Walks to the Park. This involves taking our children and whānau to local parks such as Duck Park and Ceramco Park. We have also actively promoted education about healthy eating in Eden Cottage so that whānau have guidance for dietary requirements for our tamariki.
Fred and Lisa join with current and past staff at the Eden Cottage 40th Birthday.
The number of Eden Cottage whānau accessing other Visionwest services, particularly Whai Manaaki Kai and Community Connectors, remains high.
We continue to use major events such as Christmas, Mother’s and Father’s Day, and Matariki to encourage and engage with our whānau. These are much appreciated by our whānau and help with connection.
Teachers are being mentored by InterLEAD consultant providing excellent knowledge for teachers and Head Teacher.
In May 2024, the oversight of Eden Cottage has moved from Huia Mai to Community Services.
Our response to tamariki needs
Tā mātou whakautu ki ngā hiahiatanga a ngā tamariki
Children enrolled throughout the year
Number of families with children at Eden Cottage
Samuel and Lydia’s Story
When Lydia was offered a relief teacher role at Eden Cottage, it was one of the best things that could have happened for her family (husband Samuel and their two children). Not only did she have a job, she also received invaluable help from Visionwest during a time of need.