Lincoln University Early Childhood Centre (LUECC) was initially established in 1994 to meet the needs of the students and staff of Lincoln University and is now open to everyone in the Lincoln community and surrounding areas.
The Centre is licensed for 33 children across two areas; the nursery area (under two years, with a maximum of nine children) and the preschool (two years and over, with a maximum of 24 children).
Structure
The Centre is governed by Lincoln Hospitality Ltd. The daily operation and management of the Centre is the responsibility of the Coordinator and everyone in the teaching team, who ensure that the Centre is meeting the needs of the children attending and respecting the aspirations that parents and their families / whānau hold for their children.
Vision
Lincoln University Early Childhood Centre promotes a learning environment where children use inquiry-based learning to enable them to become competent researchers of knowledge.
Children experience a well-resourced natural environment that focuses on promoting sustainability and environmental education.
Programme
We offer a programme based on Te Whariki, the national curriculum for early childhood education, which celebrates individual children’s interests and strengths in their learning and development journey.
We endeavour to provide an environment and experiences where children are encouraged to make choices and are given opportunities to explore their world through play, which promotes the optimum development of each individual child.
Assessment
Children are observed while at play in order for the teacher to build an understanding, appreciate and be responsive to the development of each child. This information is collected in the form of learning notes across the curriculum.
Teachers are responsive to this information and provide intentional strategies to enhance each child’s learning journey. This is collated in a portfolio for your child during their time at LUECC.
Staff
We offer 100% qualified teachers who are passionate about providing a welcoming and engaging environment with small group sizes and high quality ratios.
Virtual Tour
Click here to take a virtual tour of our Centre.
Opening hours
We are open Monday to Friday, 8.00am – 5.00pm.
Children can attend for:
– A morning session (8.00am – 12.30pm)
– An afternoon session (12.30pm – 5.00pm)
– A full day (8.00am – 5.00pm)
– School hours (9.00am – 3.00pm; only available for children on ECE hours)
We are closed:
– Public holidays
– Easter Tuesday (as this is a University holiday)
– Three weeks over the Christmas/New Year period.
Enviroschool
The Enviroschools Programme is a unique sustainability journey, and more than 860 early childhood education centres and schools in New Zealand are already a part of it.
Lincoln University Early Childhood Centre joined Enviroschools in 2013.
Early childhood education provides the foundation for children to form attitudes and values about the world, which they will carry with them throughout their lives.
Early childhood experiences should foster the development of children’s empathy with the natural world and nurture the concept that the child is a part of nature.
Through exploration, discovery and connections with the environment, tamariki experience how to make decisions and take action to improve the physical and social environment while developing a sense of belonging within their natural environments and community.
The Enviroschools kaupapa is based on five guiding principles.
Early childhood centres and schools are encouraged to integrate these into all the teaching they undertake.
Empowered Students are enabled to participate in a meaningful way in the life of their early childhood centre or school. Their unique perspectives are valued for the knowledge and insight that they bring, and they are supported to take action for real change.
The principle of Learning for Sustainability recognises the types of teaching and learning that foster student empowerment, decision-making, action and sustainable outcomes.
The principle of Māori Perspectives honours the status of tangata whenua in this land and the value of indigenous knowledge in enriching and guiding learning and action.
Respect for the Diversity of People and Culturesacknowledges the unique gifts, contributions and perspectives of individuals and groups, reinforcing the need for participatory decision-making in Enviroschools.
Sustainable Communities act in ways that nurture people and nature, now and in the future, to maintain the health and viability of our environment, society, culture and economy.
Tamariki at Lincoln University Early Childhood Centre are developing an understanding of environmental education and playing a significant role in creating sustainable communities by:
– Being role models of sustainable practices (such as recycling, keeping a worm farm, gardening, composting, monitoring energy and water use).
– Being empowered to be the teachers amongst their families and peers and sharing their environmental messages with their whānau and community.
– Being involved in planning around issues and practices that support the environment and developing an understanding of how to make informed decisions and take action.
– Engaging in direct experiences – ‘real work’, such as taking part in the processes of keeping a worm farm, planting and harvesting gardens, recreating outdoor environments, or hunting for litter.
– Engaging in activities that promote a sense of contribution, such as planting seeds in a vegetable garden, recycling paper, or turning off the lights when leaving a room.
– Developing a sense of connectedness through the exploration of natural materials, tactile exploration, caring for plants or animals and exploring insect gardens.
– Developing cooperation skills in playing and exploring nature with others.
– Demonstrating a developing sense of respect for nature, the environment and its components and expressing an increasing appreciation and affinity for nature.