Free Kindergarten 20 Hours ECE

Lees Street Kindergarten

Invercargill

4.5|

Ages

3–5 years

Roll Size

35 children

Subsidies

20 Hours

Rating

4.5/5

About Lees Street Kindergarten

Lees Street Kindergarten is a free kindergarten in Invercargill, with children currently enrolled aged 3–5 years. It’s well suited for parents seeking community-based, not-for-profit early education led by qualified teachers, usually with sessional hours. This centre offers 20 Hours ECE funding.

About Free Kindergarten

Free Kindergartens typically offer sessional or part-day early learning programmes led by fully qualified teachers, following Te Whāriki and emphasising learning through play, social interaction, and community involvement. These centres cater to families seeking high-quality education in a not-for-profit, community-based setting with strong ties to local whānau.

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 Lees Street Kindergarten, it is best to ask the centre directly how they apply 20 Hours ECE.

Community Profile

Roll & age distribution

Lees Street Kindergarten currently has a roll of 35 children tamariki , with most children enrolled in the 3–5 years age band.

Ethnicity profile

European tamariki are the largest group (68% of the roll), alongside māori, pacific, asian, other 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

Google Verified

Sandy Smith

July 2025

“Okay kindergarten. Better since alana left. She spoke meaningly to the kids and belitled me.”

Arthur Steinhauser

December 2019

Tracey Stenton

December 2018

Chris Rout

July 2017

“My kids have loved going to this kindergarten and we enjoy being part of the family community here. The teachers are great and trips for older kids to bush kindy on Friday are highly anticipated.”