Freemans Bay Playcentre
About Freemans Bay Playcentre
About Playcentre
Playcentres are parent-led early childhood services where families work alongside trained educators to support children’s learning through play, offering a warm, community-driven environment. These centres cater to parents who want to be actively involved in their child’s early education, enjoying a supportive, cooperative model that values whānau participation and mixed-age play.
What Is 20 Hours ECE funding?
20 Hours ECE is a government-funded initiative that helps reduce the cost of early childhood education for families with tamariki aged 3–5. Eligible children can receive up to 20 hours of funded care and education each week at participating services. Centres can set their own enrolment patterns and may ask for optional charges, but the funded hours themselves should be free of compulsory fees. If you are unsure how this works at Freemans Bay Playcentre, it is best to ask the centre directly how they apply 20 Hours ECE.
Community Profile
Roll & age distribution
Freemans Bay Playcentre currently has a roll of 16 children tamariki , with most children enrolled in the 0–5 years age band.
Ethnicity profile
European tamariki are the largest group (52% of the roll), alongside māori, pacific, asian children.
Roll and demographic figures are based on data supplied by the Ministry of Education and were last updated on 01/07/2024.
Parent Reviews
“We have had more than 6 months here. What a wonderful and unique educational practice for kids under 5 in New Zealand. We join all sessions per week. My kid loves to go to her special “school” because she can play all of indoor and outdoor activities that we can think about for ages under 5. My kid enjoys to play with her friends and develops social relationships. Especially, amazing parents and caregivers community here will warm your heart up, especially for people leaving far from home country like us.”
“Amazing magical Playcenter! This place is a child’s paradise. My daughter would wake up every morning and ask me “is it a Playcenter day today?” This was our first introduction to an ECE environment and it was so wonderful to learn about my child and all the children at the center. We made many lifelong friends and had an amazing support network from this group of incredible parents. Thank you so much. We miss you.”
“Being a solo mother with no other mum friends, my son & I started when he was around 5.5months. I'm so glad we joined FBPC because not only does my son have some awesome new friends, I've also been able to build some relationships with other caring and supportive mothers. I was made to feel very welcome and now happy to say we're part of the FBPC whanau!!”
“We recently joined Freemans bay playcentre and really like the environment. Playcentre typically runs 3-hour sessions in the morning and requires parents to participate in the supervision of the children resulting in ratios of 1:5 to 1:3 which is what we currently looking for. It’s a good opportunity for children and parents to connect with local community and learn through playing at the same time.”
“My daughter and I have recently joined the Freeman’s Bay Playcentre community and we absolutely love it!! All the members are very warm and friendly and we felt immediately welcomed. I love how Playcentre is parent-run and in such a short time my daughter’s confidence has grown as she is playing and interacting with the other children at the centre.”
Interested?
Contact the centre directly to check for availability or arrange a visit.
Getting ready for daycare?
See what your child will need for their day: labels, drink bottle, lunchbox, spare clothes, sunscreen and more.
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