Montessori at Otari Preschool Inc.

I had two sons attend Montessori at Otari Preschool. Both settled in smoothly. The teachers are amazing, conscientious and treat each child with the Individual care and attention they deserve. The preschool environment is calm, warm, safe and secure. My children grew in confidence, and have developed into well-rounded capable and caring boys while there. Montessori at Otari Preschool set them up beautifully for primary school, making new concepts in reading and arithmetic easy for them to learn in Year 1. Montessori at Otari Preschool is such a great foundation for your children. Even if you are not based in Wilton, Crofton Downs or Ngaio, it is certainly worth the drive from another suburb. Please enroll your kids here! Its a true hidden gem!

My professional educational background includes being a teacher, policy advisor at NZQA, Ministry of Education, and UNESCO National Commission NZ. I'm so impressed with Montessori at Ōtari Preschool that I've decided to keep my daughter there till she turns 6. From its outstanding kaiako and office team to its strong values and community of parents, I can't rate it highly enough. It's a calm, intelligent and structured environment that instills competence, confidence and empathy in the children, supported by tuakana-teina relationships and social & emotional skills. My daughter continues to thrive and I'm very grateful to her kaiako. As a parent, there are opportunities to be engaged if you'd like. The team is open to feedback and keen to educate interested parents too, through valuable free information sessions, newsletters and other resources. I've also learned from fellow families and their children. Being next to kura kaupapa Māori is also valuable to us. To top it off, it's set in the stunning Ōtari Wilton's Bush Native Reserve, only 10-minutes from the city. The kids enjoy weekly bush walks with their kaiako and parents at times enjoy nature together with the kids after pick up time. Ps. My daughter started at Montessori Playgroup as a newborn, which I also highly recommend! It laid the foundation for us as a family and made transition to Montessori Preschool very smooth, as it'll be to Montessori Primary School next year.

I’ve come to sing the praises of Montessori at Otari. Florence and the team work so hard to truly connect with the kids. They really see them, understand what excites and motivates them, and build meaningful relationships. I’m constantly blown away by how thoughtfully they take a tiny spark of interest and turn it into something bigger in ways that feel natural and joyful. Last week my son brought in a fun little game he’d invented to learn the Te Reo colour names, hiding a stone under coloured party hats and taking turns to guess where it is hiding. Not only did they give him the chance to lead the game with the class, but this week the whole class made their own party hats using the stars of Matariki and created a new version together. They took his idea, turned it into both leadership and learning opportunities, and helped him build confidence with his peers in a fun, authentic, completely child‑led way. When they say child-led, this is what they mean. The parent community is also incredibly welcoming and supportive. It really does feel like a village, and we feel so lucky to be part of it.