A Note From Sherryll

The countdown is on! It's not long now until the kindergarten gates shut, the last of the tamariki and whānau head off on their summer adventures, and the focus turns to the Christmas break.

It's a busy time of year for everybody, and the end to 12 months of hard mahi that has had some memorable moments.

The Association is in good shape heading into 2024, with this year bringing some much welcome relief to the COVID crunch. Families are ready to commit and trust again, and we're finally seeing our high waitlists trickle through to stronger enrolment numbers. I know how hard everybody has worked through the past few difficult and uncertain years to not only hold together their kindergarten communities, but to keep looking to the future, too. The hard work is paying off – and we end the year on solid ground with a noticeable trend towards those high waitlists turning into enrolments. Thank you for all your efforts and the energy you've put into ensuring te ao kindy continues to be a reliable haven of exploration, fun, connection and learning.

There were some very special moments in 2023 that we all shared in, including the ERO Governing Organisational review, which saw us reach Whakawhanake, the highest performing category in this framework. We were the only ECE umbrella organisation with more than 15 services in New Zealand to be placed at this level. Combined with the overwhelmingly positive nature of our organisational review along with the 12 individual kindergartens that were also part of this review, this is testament to our collective achievements, and just goes to show what we can achieve together when we remain committed to the things that make kindergarten – and Kidsfirst – so very special.

More families are taking to social media to rate Kidsfirst, too, with a record number of Google reviews in November. With so many more people heading online to explore their ECE options, these help paint the picture of Kidsfirst for families, and are increasingly influential in the decision making process of prospective whānau. Five star ratings continue to dominate in Kidsfirst reviews, and it is always heart warming to read about the experiences of families, especially those where the things we value matter to them, too.

Our organisational values were front and centre this year, too, as we reviewed the decade-old At Our Heart ideas with a 2024 lens. It has been quite the process to get to where we are on the journey - from the seeds of the first concepts to the checking and rechecking to ensure they resonate across our organisation; and from the creative materials that help us express them in our ongoing mahi to bring the Uara to life. We are all on this journey together, some at different points from others, and we are doing a great job of ensuring that everybody continues at their own pace, in their own time, with plenty of manaakitanga along the way. My thanks to the Values Working Party for their wise guidance, passion and ongoing mahi in this area, and to all of you who are actively exploring ways to bring more of the Uara into your everyday work.

'Tis the season for Whakamanamana, and I hope you have plenty of it planned as we head into the break.

Meri Kirihimete, and I hope for a happy start to the year for you and your whānau.

Arohanui,

Sherryll.

Read all Issue 23 stories here