Childcare Auckland

Oma Rāpeti Early Learning Centre

Welcome to Oma Rāpeti, a home-style childcare centre in the middle of Auckland City.

We are a small, privately run early childhood education centre with 50 children in our care: 10 under two's in The Burrow, and 40 over two's in The Meadow.

We have a team of highly qualified Kaiako (teachers) who are passionate about their role in your child's future, and committed to providing a premium level of care.

Our centre is inspired by the work of Emmi Pikler and Magda Gerber or RIE®️ as you may know it. Our child-led, play-based space is centred around respect for your child as a whole. We closely follow the 5 strands of Te Whāriki in our curriculum, weaving them throughout the day. They will also feature in regular learning stories you receive about your child.

Want to know more about our approach to early learning? Read about our philosophy here.

We also hold a regular open day, so you can come through the centre and learn a little more. Find out the next date on our events page.

“It’s not about technique but who we are with ourselves”

- Dr. Emmi Pikler

Up To 2 Years

2-6 Year Olds

Visit The Burrow

Visit The Meadow

Our Values

Nurture - relationships are at the heart of everything

Nourish - take care of mind, body, and spirit

Natural - nature provides the optimal play experience

Enquire now or join our open day!

Enquire Now

Come along to our open day

Check out some of our blogs below!

Supporting Children’s Brain Development

September 13th 2021I once taught a four-year-old who had joined our early childhood centre after moving to a new house. After a few weeks with us, this child made a confession. “I’m not supposed to tell youRead more

What do I do with all of this art?

September 8th 2021It's a typical Thursday, and you've come to collect your child from their centre. They greet you happily from the kai table where they're finishing off their afternoon tea, and you head inside toRead more

Kōrerotia te reo!

August 26th 2021Is it a surprise to you if I told you that New Zealand has two official languages and neither of them are English? English is presumed to be an official language by most people, however the officialRead more

Why an Open Day works for our infants

March 25th 2021Since 2019 we have been moving towards an Open Day format for our Burrow (under 2) space. There are often questions around why we do this as opposed to an individual tour through the space, so weRead more

Finding Treasure - Outdoors, Together.

December 15th 2020Summer is knocking on our door, and with that comes Christmas time. As parents, we’re likely to be spending considerably more time outdoors over the next few months, and many of us will have giftRead more

Risk taking through play for young children

November 9th 2020How many of you have had a moment of terror when you have caught your young child climbing on top of the coffee table or trying to jump off their bed into the floor? I think it’s safe to say if youRead more

Is a Centre or Homebased Childcare Right For My Child?

October 6th 2020You might think because we run a cool little centre in Auckland Central that, in our opinion, provides the best possible care out there and therefore we would be bias towards children being in ECERead more

Embrace the mess | The science behind messy play

September 4th 2020Messy play. Korihori pōrehe. Two simple words that have the incredible capacity to make both parents and educators either recoil in horror, or jump for joy. Why do we intentionally let ourRead more

The Magic Of Rituals | Connection through the everyday.

June 30th 2020From mindfulness to bubble baths, Christmas to birthdays, bedtime to bathtime, many of us use rituals in our lives. Even as adults, we’re often using rituals without even realising. Rituals createRead more

Starting School

June 3rd 2020Written by Claire, one of our wonderful team members who has completed her Masters in Education (ECE) through Auckland University. Transitioning to school is one of the topics Claire is passionateRead more

Upcycling | Turning loose parts into exciting new resources

May 8th 2020Our guide for parents on how to turn everyday objects around the home into educational ECE resources.Read more

Sustainable Parenting

April 15th 2020At Oma Rāpeti we know how important it is to put the environment front and centre of our practices and teachings. We’re also mothers and parents. Busy ones at that. As parents, there’s always aRead more

Testimonials

"...The rhythms, rituals and songs that you shared and the peaceful place of love and friendship."

"...homely, preservative-free and sugar-free cooking was a big reason we came to Oma Rāpeti and it did not disappoint."

"...The staff are passionate about what they do and the philosophy is wonderful. I am so grateful to have found this place"

Read the full testimonials here!

Join our mailing list:

We send out occasional centre updates, events, and blog posts - keep in touch!

"Having respect for the world is when you allow people to be what they are."

- Magda Gerber

Dr Emmi Pikler

1902-1984

The Pikler approach is based on a respectful relationship between an adult and child, through tender care moments, a naturally paced motor development, free movement, and uninterrupted play.

"The relationship is all - it is a matter of life to the baby."

- Dr Emmi Pikler

Oma Rāpeti

Location: 1 Pratt Street, Freemans Bay, Auckland. We are a six minute drive from Auckland City.

Phone: 09-376 7282
Email: home@omarapeti.net.nz

To join our waitlist click here

OPENING HOURS

7.30am-5.30pm Monday - Friday

A little oasis in the city