Planning a Family Holiday? Let’s Chat Early!

At Four Seasons Kindergarten, we love hearing about the special adventures our tamariki go on with their whānau — whether it’s a visit to see family overseas, a camping trip by the beach, or time spent enjoying our beautiful Aotearoa. Holidays are a wonderful way to recharge and connect as a whānau.

However, when you're planning an extended time away from kindy (more than 3 weeks), it’s really important that you get in touch with us at least three weeks in advance. Why? Because it helps us meet Ministry of Education (MoE) funding requirements and ensure we can support your child’s return to kindy as smoothly as possible.

Why does this matter?

Under MoE funding rules, if a child is absent for more than three continuous weeks, we are required to remove them from our roll. That means we no longer receive funding for their enrolment — and in a small centre like ours, that makes a big difference.

Although whānau contribute to our financial sustainability through optional charges and hourly fees, these do not fully cover the true costs of running our kindergarten. The Ministry of Education provides additional funding which is essential to maintaining the high quality of care and education we offer — including our 100% qualified teaching team, nourishing meals, rich learning experiences, and our unique Steiner Waldorf character. When this funding is paused during extended absences, it impacts our ability to plan ahead and maintain the sustainability of our service.

To help manage this, we ask that families:

• Let us know at least 3 weeks in advance if you're planning time away

• Arrange to pay a holding fee if you'd like to secure your child’s place. This will be dependent on your child’s current enrolment and the length of your planned absence.

During an extended absence, we may need to fill your child’s spot to ensure we remain sustainable — but rest assured, we’ll do our best to warmly welcome your child back into our kindergarten community when you return.

Let’s work as a team

If you’re planning time away:
Let us know as soon as possible
Talk with us about holding your space and please know we’ll do everything we can to support your return.

We want to support your whānau every step of the way — including when life takes you on new adventures. Thank you for helping us continue to provide a warm, stable, and enriching environment for all our tamariki.

Ngā mihi nui,
The Four Seasons Kindergarten Team