Little Footprints childcare centre in Lower Hutt caters for all ages from birth to five years old
Little Footprints is a purpose-built childcare centre in Lower Hutt, located in Melling. Our centre's new premises which opened in 2024 provides a warm, welcoming daycare environment for families across the Hutt Valley.
The centre includes four thoughtfully designed rooms that support children at different stages of development. Through consistent routines, caring relationships, and a calm environment, our daycare spaces help children feel secure while exploring, learning, and growing at their own pace.
Key teachers:
To support each child’s wellbeing and sense of belonging, every child at Little Footprints is assigned a key teacher who becomes a trusted point of connection for both the child and their family. This teacher supports the child’s learning journey, shares information with parents, and helps create a sense of security within the centre.
A nurturing childcare centre where children feel secure, supported and valued
- Purpose-built learning spaces supporting children at every stage
- Caring teachers building secure relationships and supporting confident learners
- Smooth transitions as children grow, learn, and prepare for school
Little Footprints is located at: 79 Marsden Street, Melling, Lower Hutt
Kiwi Pepe: 0- 15 months
Kiwi Pepe is our infants room, catering from 0-15 months. Our practice is inspired by the Emmi Pikler approach, which places respectful, responsive relationships at the heart of early learning. We believe children are capable and confident learners, and we honour their natural development by allowing them time, space, and freedom to explore at their own pace. Through unhurried care routines, consistent caregivers, and a calm, nurturing environment, we support each child’s emotional security, independence, and sense of wellbeing. We value being a ‘home away from home’ for your Pepe.
Rūma Kererū: 15 months- 2 years
Rūma Kererū welcomes children aged 15 months to 2 years, building on the foundations established in Kiwi Pepe. Children are supported to learn and reach milestones at their own pace in a calm, nurturing environment. Through age-appropriate experiences such as messy play, baking, music, and unstructured mat times, tamariki are encouraged to grow in confidence, develop new skills, and form strong, trusting relationships with their kaiako and peers.
Rūma Tūī: 2 years- 3.5 years
Rūma Tūī welcomes children aged 2 to 3.5 years, building on the strong foundations established in Kiwi Pepe and Rūma Kererū. In Rūma Tūī, we nurture each child’s natural learning journey by following their interests and creating an engaging, responsive curriculum to support this. As children grow, we gently encourage increasing independence through caring for their belongings and the environment around them. Sharing an outdoor space with Rūma Pūkeko allows for tuakana–teina relationships, where older children guide and support younger ones. This creates meaningful learning opportunities and helps ease the transition into the next room.
Rūma Pūkeko: 3.5 years – 5 years
Rūma Pūkeko caters for children aged 3.5 to 5 years, offering a balance of structured mat times and rich, play-based learning. Kaiako support tamariki to prepare for school while valuing and honouring their current age and stage of development. From four years old, children are invited to join our ‘Poutama Group’, a Ready for School programme that introduces foundational literacy and numeracy skills, such as recognising the alphabet and counting to 10. By weaving children’s interests into meaningful learning opportunities, Rūma Pūkeko nurtures confident, capable learners who feel ready and excited for their next step into school.
Starting childcare can take time for both children and parents, so we support families through a gentle settling process. Pre-entry visits are encouraged so children can become familiar with the teachers, routines, and environment before their first full day.
Families are always welcome to contact the centre during the day to check how their child is settling, and our teachers work closely with parents and caregivers to support a positive and reassuring start.
Children learn through relationships and the environment around them. At Little Footprints we create a stimulating and inviting environment where children can explore independently and alongside their peers.
Learning takes place through play, shared activities, group discussions, music, stories, and everyday experiences both indoors and outdoors. Our programme supports children to develop confidence, curiosity, and a love of learning as they grow
As children move through the centre, transitions between rooms are carefully planned in consultation with whānau and the teaching team. Children are supported to become familiar with their new environment, routines, and teachers before moving into the next room.
This thoughtful transition process continues as children prepare for school through the Poutama Group, which helps develop early literacy, numeracy, and confidence for the next stage of their learning journey.
We aim to create an environment that meets the individual needs of all children and supports diversity across ability, learning needs, family structure, culture, and values. We build trusting relationships with children and families, and we encourage whānau to share aspirations so learning experiences can respond to each child’s strengths and needs.
We recognise and support the values of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in our daily curriculum by encouraging te reo Māori, using appropriate tikanga practices, and providing Māori learning resources, with learning guided by Te Whāriki. Families are also welcome to be involved in centre life in ways that suit them.
Enrol at Little Footprints
We welcome families to visit our childcare centre in Melling, Lower Hutt and meet our teaching team. If you’re looking for a nurturing daycare environment where your child can learn, grow, and feel at home, we’d love to hear from you. Call us to make a time to visit or enrol at our early learning centre here.