Tiny Nation Educator - Taranaki - Nikki C

About Me

Kia ora, I’m Nikki, and I’ve been working with young children since my uni days back in 1998, when childcare started as a part-time job and quickly became a lifelong passion. I’ve nannied in London and Australia for 6 years, worked in early childhood centres in the UK and then New Zealand while training and have now been a home-based educator for many years while my own children have grown up - a role I absolutely adore. I love working in small groups, following children’s interests and building relationships with both the children and their families.

I live on a 2.5 acre lifestyle block just five minutes from the city with my husband, Dave. We have three children – our oldest has just moved into his own home, he’ll be renovating, our daughter is in her second year of university, and our youngest is still living at home and in his final year of college. Our house provides a calm, welcoming, and home-like environment where children feel safe, valued, and comfortable, allowing them to explore at their own pace.

My Philosophy

As a home-based educator, I believe children thrive when they feel safe, valued, and truly known. My practice is shaped by many years of experience, ongoing professional learning, and strong relationships with families.

I am inspired by respectful, relationship-based approaches such as RIE and Pikler, which support children to learn naturally in calm, unhurried environments. I believe in trusting children’s capabilities, allowing time for free play, and supporting independence through everyday routines and experiences.

Strong relationships sit at the heart of everything I do. I work closely with whānau, recognising that families know their children best, and I aim to create a warm, welcoming environment where each child feels a strong sense of belonging. I prepare activities based on children’s interests and support gentle, positive transitions into the day.

I am passionate about fostering kindness, inclusion, cultural awareness, and supporting children to develop confidence, curiosity and a love of learning. My goal is to provide a nurturing, home-like setting where children feel happy, settled and supported to flourish.

My Environment

My home has lots of lovely indoor and outdoor spaces for children to explore and learn, we have the farm paddocks to visit, but we spend most of our time in the open plan living area and fully fenced back yard which is all one big inviting space. Our days are filled with baking, crafts, messy play, art, gardening, dancing and music, lots of imaginative play and outdoor fun.
We’re also regular visitors in our community, enjoying music groups, kindy gym, Tiny Nation outings and playgroups, bush walks, and nature play. We love spending time with other home-based educators too - heading out on adventures, having playdates, and visiting each other’s homes. Every child’s birthday is celebrated with a party, because creating memories and making children feel special is something I truly value.