Last Friday, the Whānau Manaaki Board confirmed it would open a Kimbolton Kindergarten in the coming weeks following the Ruahine Kindergarten Association’s decision to permanently shut the centre, citing low attendance.

Families from the district who faced losing their early childhood centre say they are relieved and excited that a new kindergarten will soon open in its place. Parent Georgia Jenkins, part of a group of parents who advocated for the centre to stay open, said she was relieved.

“Many local children would not have had access to ECE as parents couldn’t travel further to attend other services. Whānau Manaaki have really understood the realities of country life, and the need to keep rural early childhood education alive”.

Local parent Rosie Edwards says parents, the community and Whānau Manaaki will all work in partnership to ensure the success of the new kindergarten. “We are really excited to be working alongside Whānau Manaaki to establish this kindergarten. Our community has been 100% behind us in finding a solution because quality ECE not only provides a strong foundation for education, but in an area like ours it provides connection and a place of belonging for young families too”. 

With community support and guidance from the Ministry of Education, Whānau Manaaki is working to open the new kindergarten as soon as possible. Whānau Manaaki Board Chair, Martin Robinson, said the Board was concerned when they read of the closure. “Kindergarten has a proud 120+ year old history of being nestled in local communities. This means rural communities as well. The challenges of running ECE centres, particularly in rural communities are significant, but rural communities should not go without. Our Board is made up of parents, whānau and kindergarten staff, so we understand the pressures on families. We want to do everything we can to maintain a service in Kimbolton – we have great community support, so let’s give it a go!"

Whānau Manaaki also operate kindergartens in Taihape and Shannon, both about an hour away from Kimbolton.