How to create and share your childcare Philosophy Statement

Part of the licensing criteria for centre-based ECE (Early Childhood Education) services requires every childcare service to display its childcare Philosophy Statement. While there is no one way to create a childcare Philosophy Statement for your service, it should be a comprehensive document that outlines the fundamental beliefs, values and principles guiding your service’s operation and educational approach. The Ministry of Education/Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga acknowledges that every Philosophy Statement will be different and that services may choose their own development approach as long as they comply with the criteria.
Your childcare Philosophy Statement serves as a foundation for your service’s practices, policies and interactions with tamariki, whānau and hapori. It reflects your service’s vision for providing high-quality early childhood education and care, emphasising the importance of nurturing a positive and inclusive environment for all children.
When drafting your Philosophy Statement, it is often helpful to consider your motivation for establishing your service, the daily achievements you strive to accomplish and the values that guide your service and decisions. While it is the management group’s or governing board’s responsibility to draft the actual statement, you should gather input and reviews from everyone involved at your service, including the service provider, coordinators, kaiako and family. An annual review of your Philosophy Statement is good practice. It is “a living document that should be reviewed regularly as part of a service’s self-review process.”

What to include in your childcare Philosophy Statement
The Ministry of Education provides some guidance on what you may wish to include in your Philosophy Statement. Your childcare Philosophy Statement doesn’t need to be overly long or complex. Instead, a good Philosophy Statement should be easy to understand and clearly communicate your service’s fundamental beliefs, vision, values and ideals.
Though it is not necessary to include everything, some of the key parts of your childcare Philosophy Statement may include:
- Educational Approach
- Details your service’s approach to teaching and learning
- Emphasises play-based learning, inquiry and child-led activities
- Incorporates elements of Te Whāriki
- Values and Beliefs
- Outlines your service’s core values, such as respect, trust, collaboration and diversity
- States the importance of fostering a love for learning and promoting holistic development
- Cultural Responsiveness
- Reflects commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi) and incorporating Māori perspectives
- Highlights the integration of bicultural practices and respect for multiculturalism
- Child-Centred Focus
- Emphasises the importance of recognising and supporting each child’s unique needs, interests and strengths
- Promotes the development of strong, positive relationships between children and teachers
- Family and Community Engagement
- Recognises the role of families as partners in the educational process
- Encourages active involvement by family/whanau in your centre’s activities and decision-making processes
- Environment and Sustainability
- Describes your service’s commitment to providing a safe, nurturing and stimulating environment
- May include principles of sustainability and respect for the natural environment
- Professional Development
- Highlights your service’s dedication to continuous professional development for staff
- Encourages reflective practice and ongoing learning to improve teaching quality
Childcare Philosophy Statement example
It is essential that you create your childcare Philosophy Statement using an approach that best suits your needs and accurately reflects your service and its values. The Education Review Office produced a report on service Philosophy Statements that you may find helpful when drafting your own.

For reference, here is an example of a childcare service Philosophy Statement
We believe in creating a warm, nurturing environment where children feel safe, valued and respected. Our educational approach is grounded in the principles of Te Whāriki, New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum, emphasising play-based learning and child-led exploration. We honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi by incorporating bicultural practices and respecting the diverse cultural backgrounds of our children and families. Our philosophy is built on the values of trust, collaboration and inclusivity, ensuring every child is supported to reach their full potential. We view families as essential partners in our journey and actively encourage their involvement in our centre. By fostering strong relationships and a love for learning, we aim to lay the foundation for lifelong success and wellbeing.
Getting input on your Philosophy Statement
It is important to seek input from your service staff and families and include them in the review process when developing your Philosophy Statement. In line with the Ministry of Education’s guidance, this should be a “living document” that evolves as your service does.
Discover by Xplor gives you several ways to share your Philosophy Statement with both your staff and whānau for them to provide you with feedback.
Sharing your Philosophy Statement with staff
If you use Playground, Discover by Xplor’s teacher platform, you can easily create a Document and share it with kaiako for them to read and collaborate on. You can save your progress and keep it as an “Internal-only” Document by simply not publishing it.
Sharing your Philosophy Statement with whānau
When you’re satisfied with your first internal draft, you can quickly and easily share the Document with families by publishing it. It’s as simple as “tagging all children” to share your Document with all the whānau with tamariki receiving care at your service. Families can share feedback by commenting on the Document using our free family app, Home.

Other ways to share your Philosophy Statement with families
You have several options if you just wish to communicate your services Philosophy Statement with whānau. In addition to displaying it at your service, you can:
- Add it to your website
- Share it with the Discover by Xplor Student Management system
- Include it in the body of your email, or just share the link to your page using the bulk communication tool
- Include it as an attachment to your email using the bulk communication tool
- Share it via the Playground teacher platform
- Created as a Document and shared as a Post
- Created as a Canvas and shared as a Post
- Linked in a Learning Story
- Connected to Learning Frameworks
- Webpage link shared in Messenger
No matter if you want to share your Philosophy Statement with families for feedback or just to inform them of it, Discover by Xplor offers you several options.
If you’d like to learn more about how the Discover by Xplor childcare ecosystem makes childcare management simple, please get in touch—we’d love to chat with you!