Centre is 'a dream come true'

Teachers and trustees say it will be "a dream come true" when the first children enter KingsView Early Learning Centre on Monday after a $350,000 renovation and more than a year gaining consents.

The launch will follow a centre "open to view" day on Saturday from 11am to 2pm to be attended by teachers and trustees, with coffee and cake on offer to members of the community.

However, there was already a waiting list of families interested in enrolling in the new centre, on Yewlett Cres, Frankton, which was expected to open at 8.30am with 11 Wakatipu children aged between 9 months and 4 years.

Centre manager Gill Hodgson, of Frankton, said on Monday everyone was "very excited" about the opening.

"I've had this dream for over 10 years and I've been approaching developers and all sorts of people, and it was never possible until Vaughan Darby bought the place and said go ahead, get the preschool going.

"But it's taken over a year to get to this point, due to the resource consent and building process. In some ways, renovating takes longer than building."

Trustee Hine Marchand said, "Lady Olive Hutchins has been a huge support and Vaughan made it possible for us."

Mrs Hodgson said the centre was licensed for up to 30 children including up to 10 youngsters aged under 2.

Opening hours would be between 8.30am and 4.30pm, but the centre would not be open during school holidays.

Children could continue from the centre to the Christian state-integrated KingsView School next door if the parents wished, she said.

"There is a waiting list of 50 families. We haven't advertised; that's just happened.

"We knew it was a very important facility for families who need it.

"Families have had to leave town to find facilities where they can."

KingsView Early Learning Centre was owned by the Christian Schools' Association of Queenstown, but Mrs Hodgson said "it's not just for Christian children, it's for all families in the community".

The learning centre was led by a management board and maintained staff-to-child ratios as prescribed by the Ministry of Education.

Fees started at $30 for three hours or less for children in age groups between 6 months and 3 years, and 3 years and 5.

Fees went up to $320 for a 40 hour week for children aged between 6 months and 3 years, and up to $280 for a 40 hour week for children aged between 3 and 5.

Plunket told the Queenstown Times there were 1313 children aged between 6 weeks and 5 years in Queenstown and Arrowtown on April 5 this year.

About 300 babies are born in both towns each year.