Headteacher Charmika Liyanarachchy (left), Caitlin Gedye, Debra Turchie, and Meaghan Lee with tamariki at the Barsanti Kindergarten are ready to celebrate.
Photo /Bevan Conley
Headteacher Charmika Liyanarachchy (left), Caitlin Gedye, Debra Turchie, and Meaghan Lee with tamariki at the Barsanti Kindergarten are ready to celebrate.
Photo /Bevan Conley
Barsanti Kindergarten in Castlecliff has provided early education to Whanganui children for over 50 years.
They will be holding a celebration to mark the milestone on November 26.
"Covid restrictions last year meant we couldn't have a proper celebration on the actual anniversary so we're going all out this year,"headteacher Charmika Liyanarachchy said.
The centre is named after its architect Leonard Barsanti and the building was the last of many he designed for the Kindergarten Association in Whanganui, Marton, and Waiouru.
It opened in 1971 and after 50 years and hundreds of little feet beating a path through the building, it is still serving its purpose well.
"It is looking a bit tired and we are planning a spruce up but we will keep most of the original features," said Liyanarachchy.
Barsanti is a Whānau Manaaki Kindergarten - one of 101 kindergartens in the Central Plateau. The not-for-profit organisation covers kindergartens in Whanganui, Horowhenua, the Kapiti Coast, Wairarapa and the Wellington region.
Liyanarachchy said the Māori word manaaki appealed to her when she arrived in New Zealand from Sri Lanka and started applying for teaching roles.
"It is a well-known concept in Sri Lankan culture - the practice of providing care, respect, and hospitality to the whole community was something that resonated with me," she said.
"That was one of the hardest things during the Covid restrictions. When we couldn't invite whānau and community members in it was really hard because that is very much part of our regular activities so it is really nice to have everyone back."
The outdoor area at Barsanti has recently been landscaped with plantings that echo the coastal area and children were watering the thriving plants in the vegetable beds.
Family members are once again dropping by to help out and students from Whanganui Girls College had recently repainted the playground whare as part of their work for Duke of Edinburgh awards.
Barsanti is licensed for a maximum of 30 children and the roll currently sits at 27.
The current minimum adult-to-child ratios in kindergartens are one adult to up to six children 2 years and older but when Barsanti opened in 1971 the centre was licensed for up to 50 children and only two teachers were required.
"I don't know how they coped with those ratios," said Liyanarachchy.
"There were 15 children at the first session when the kindergarten opened. We are hoping to see some of those early family members at our celebration."
Although the kindergarten movement began in New Zealand in 1889, it was not until the 1940s that government policy supported the infrastructure.
Architect Len Barsanti designed many of the Kindergarten buildings in Whanganui.
Photo / Supplied
The kindergarten movement in Whanganui gained momentum in 1948 when a group of mothers formed a committee and the first free kindergarten in Whanganui opened in the Baden-Powell Hall on Durie Hill.
By 1951, there were six committees and six free kindergartens operating in halls in Whanganui.
The council allocated six sections for the building of kindergartens in Wanganui East, Durie Hill, St. John Hill, Gonville, and Aramoho.
Barsanti, who was the chief architect with the Wanganui Education Board at the time, became the kindergarten movement's greatest supporter donating his time and expertise to designing the buildings that have stood the test of time.
Six kindergartens were built over 12 years and the building would continue into the 1970s with Barsanti, Hinemoa, and then Putiki kindergartens all completed in that decade.
"Mr Barsanti has probably been our greatest friend," a committee member wrote.
"And our kindergartens are a monument to his wonderful generosity for he has given his professional services unstintingly."
Today there are 12 kindergartens operating in Whanganui and at Pakaraka/Maxwell.
Len Barsanti died in 1977 and is remembered along with Harriet Vine and Marie Mcfarland as a founder of early childhood education in Whanganui.
Barsanti Kindergarten will celebrate his memory and five decades of early learning at the centre on Saturday, November 26. Those interested in attending can contact the centre or find more information on the Facebook page.
