In home Childcare is a safe, home away from home environment where children can play and learn while their parents are at work.  Organic Kids Educators are dedicated to ensuring that the day to day experiences of the children take place in an environment which promotes growth and extends learning - it is not simply a babysitting service.  While maintaining a calm and stable home environment, close connected relationships are developed, setting our most precious citizens up for the best possible start by giving them the greatest gift: TIME.

With no more than four children in care at any one time, with a maximum of 2 under two, Organic Kids Educators pride themselves on providing safe, familiar environments.  Compared to the larger ratios in childcare centers (5 children under two/8 children under five) the children receive high levels of personal attention and interaction, and less exposure to illness and excessive noise which has been shown to be crucial for this critical stage of early brain development.

It is much more affordable than most people think and provides the best possible start for your child.  Organic Kids, WINZ and ECE subsidies can be used towards the cost of home-based care.  By offering childcare that stays in touch with the magic and spontaneity of childhood in a home and community setting enables a rich, varied but stable childhood.  Family activities such as shopping, library visits, and trips to the park provide valuable learning experiences for children.

What can you expect from In Home Childcare?

• Flexible childcare: Each child's needs are taken into consideration as hours and times are agreed.

• Safe Environment: Every home passes a stringent safety check which is regularly checked.  All adults also pass a police vetting check and hold a current first aid certificate.

• Communication: Daily journals are kept by the educator so you know exactly how your child's day has been.

• Outings: Regular playgroups and trips arranged with the wider Organic Kids network

• Solid curriculum base: An educational program that is individual to each child and is based on the New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum – Te Whaariki

• Personalisation: Monthly home visits by a qualified visiting teacher. This enables the home educator to plan a program for your child taking into account the families values, needs and interests of the child

• Updates: A visit note detailing your child’s progress is emailed to you monthly. Each child's journal is updated with photos, artwork and learning stories.

• Resources: Access to educational resources and articles

Educators are passionate in their fundamental belief that ‘home is where the start is’. Children can develop responsive and reciprocal relationships with one significant other. A settled environment is crucial for unfolding a child's full potential during the critical stages of early brain development. By focusing on a relationship-based approach to learning, with Educators who become significant others in the lives of the children they nurture, educators are able to work at the pace of young children and allow them the time to follow their natural development and discover their individual potential.

Research shows that little minds grow best at home. Decades of neuro-scientific findings have made it clear that the human brain does most of its wiring after birth. Millions of connections in the brain - more than we will ever have or need in adulthood – are formed in direct response to the baby’s environment. It is their experiences that guide this process.  And it is the quality of the relationships our children are exposed to that shape their experience of the world as they learn from those around them.

Organic Kids understands the need for double income families and women returning to the workforce and has purposefully created a new model of childcare that will prevent the institutionalization of infants for long hours in day care.

At Organic Kids, we understand how to apply this most important knowledge to our interactions with the children in our care. Our model not only works to offer a warm, nurturing and stimulating environment while a child is with their educator, but supports overall wellbeing of the child and their family - the primary connection we are always seeking to enhance.

A leading neonatal pediatrician is warning parents that higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol could permanently harm infants developing brains.  He bases his message on studies by Canadian expert Megan Gunnar and American researcher Michael Meaney.

"Gunnar studied the levels of stress hormone cortisol in children and found 80 percent of children in daycare became more stressed throughout the day, with toddlers showing the biggest rises in stress. Gunnar found it was the daycare center setting, not being separated from their parents that triggered the rise in cortisol levels. This reaction disappeared by school-age, but by that time, sustained high cortisol levels may have already caused permanent damage to the brain. That could affect everything from the child's future relationships to their ability to learn and deal with stress as an adult. The research also showed that quality care reduced children's stress levels; while children who cling to their teachers or have difficult relationships with their teachers were more stressed. Meaney found that the type of nurturing children receive can alter their genes, changing the way they cope with stress - a change that can be passed on to future generations"

While the world continues to get bigger and faster, Organic Kids's Vision and Mission is to create a real home away from home, open to investigation where children of all ages can lead their own journey of self-discovery.  They are committed to consciously providing high quality early childhood education and care through respectful, loving and consistent relationships. The relationships we build with children are the most important part of our work. Our home environments allow children to grow and flourish, at their own individual pace.   We believe learning, leadership and responsibility should be shared amongst everyone in the Organic Kids community, including educators, parents, children and their whanau. We believe in nurturing kids as they grow.

Families who choose in-home care are assured their children will receive the most valuable gift to enhance their well-being ... quality time.