Community-led partnerships create better outcomes for everyone - Little Pearls Educare

An initiative by

Little Pearls

in Partnership with EPIT

September 2023

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The long term goal is to create a holistic learning and wellbeing hub attached to Mt Roskill Little Pearls Educare, which could be virtual, physical or both. This will be a connecting space, a hub of holistic support and manaakitanga, where the central point of contact, the hub, will be the early childhood centre. The hub will bring people together who need support and connect them with those who can provide this. The initial phase is a fact finding and ideation phase.

The drive behind this initiative

During the 10+ years of operation, Little Pearls has had many whānau and community members come through their doors needing support and connection. The organisation is the point of contact for providing them with pathways and assistance and connecting those who need help with those who can provide this. The First 1000 days in a child’s life is crucial to children’s overall wellbeing and success in later life. Whānau is at the core of this - if whānau is broken - society is broken. Raising a healthy, whole child who can fully participate in society requires wrap-around support and manaakitanga.

Approach to change

This is a ground up initiative driven by community for community. A human-centred design approach to change is being used, which typically involves going through the following phases: inspiration; ideation; implementation. During this seed funded stage the initiative will go through the first iterations of the inspiration and ideation phases in order to test the feasibility of the idea.

Impact for Equity

  • Healthy happy children experiencing a better start in their learning. ​
  • Children with diverse learning needs accessing the support they need.​
  • Whānau receive wrap-around support for their social, physical, mental and spiritual needs.​
  • Participation in early childhood education is more possible for those with financial or transport difficulties.​
  • Whānau receive information and support to obtain employment.

Learnings & Outputs

About

Little Pearls

Little Pearls Educare operates two early childhood centres offering care and education for children 3 months – 5 years. One of these centres is in Mt Albert and the other in Mt Roskill. The centres sit under the umbrella organisation The Pearl of the Islands Foundation (PIF) whose mission it is to foster understanding and acceptance between people of diverse communities; education is one of their main focus areas.