Carol White Family Centre

The Carol White Family Centre was opened in March 2004 by Helen Clark to support the children of refugee families. 40 children are enrolled from a few months old until they start at Primary School. We have families from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Eritrea.

There is no other Early Childhood Centre like this one in New Zealand.

The parents of the children go to English and resettlement classes at REAF (Refugee Education for Adults and Families) at Selwyn College while their children attend and offers a wrap-around service for families with young children.

The main staffing costs and overheads are covered by the Ministry of Education, however, there is a $20,000 shortfall each year because of the additional needs of our families. Our families are some of the poorest in New Zealand as they arrive here with very little. They may have been in a refugee camp or a country of exile for many years. They have left behind family members and their usual support systems. In addition they have to learn the language and customs of a new country.

We want our refugee children to start primary school ready to embrace education.

We do not ask for financial donations from families as this would be a barrier to their attendance.

We employ additional bilingual staff to support first language, supply nappies and supplementary food and liaise with outside organisations to help with successful resettlement.

All this comes at a cost. We have had successful grant applications in the past but with COVID, the demands on these funders has resulted in lower grants which is why we need your help.