KEY POINTS:
Children of all backgrounds will be encouraged to attend the country's first Sikh or Indian-run childcare centre, which opens in Manurewa next week.
The Nanaksar Education Phulwari - Garden of Flowers - childcare centre will be opened on October 25 as part of a move to get more children into early childhood education.
The opening of the centre comes after a City of Manukau Education Trust analysis this year showed that of the 28,000 children aged 4 or under in the Manukau area, fewer than half attended a preschool.
One reason was the lack of childcare centres in the area.
The project adviser for the Nanaksar Education Phulwari centre, H.P. Luthera, acknowledged the need for the centre, especially in the Manukau area.
"A lot of emphasis has been made on early childhood education in South Auckland," he said.
"It is a low-served area and they [the Ministry of Education] wanted this service."
The centre - behind the Sikh temple on Great South Rd and run by the Anand Isher Education and Community Trust - will cater for up to 40 children aged 2 to 5 from all backgrounds.
Mr Luthera said many Indian parents let their children stay with grandparents instead of enrolling them at a childcare centre such as this and this issue needed to be addressed in order to open up other doors.
"We did find a great need for this, as our children were going straight to school and having the trauma of not understanding a mainstream culture. This centre is going to fill that gap.
"We believe that [with] the establishment of this service, more and more organisations in the Indian community will open centres like this in other areas."
Opening the centre up to children of all cultures and backgrounds was important because it would bridge gaps within society and create opportunities for youngsters in the future.
"It's not going to be exclusive for Indian and Sikh children.
"Our vision is that we have something here so they can grow up together with children from all backgrounds.
"All children can grow up knowing other cultures," he said.
A public celebratory feast and a blessings ceremony will be held on Saturday, October 25.
Mr Luthera said: "All and all, it's a positive chance for our children and parents to understand each other."
