Catholic values are sown at early childhood centre

by ROWENA OREJANA
The newly appointed supervisor of the Marian Early Childhood Centre in Panmure, Auckland, Cyril Siasoco, says his dream is to have more Catholic early childhood centres.

At present, there are only eight in Auckland.
“We are trying to offer the best in early childhood education, because we want to inspire more people to put up Catholic pre-schools,” Mr Siasoco said.
“When children are this young, they are like clean slates. Whatever you teach them, they will keep it forever. The younger you teach them Catholic values, the better,” he added.
Colourful, illustrated woodlight panels run above the deck of the centre, depicting the special character of the community centre that takes care of the very young in a Catholic way.
The first panel shows three hooks that symbolise how the centre draws children to God and Mary while the last panel, also of hooks, stands for children leaving the centre and bringing people they meet to God.
Mr Siasoco explained that the panels were created a parent supporter, Marlane Sherborne, from ideas brainstormed by centre staff. It took two years to create the panels.
“The centre revolves around the philosophy that Catholic character should shine through. Even the environment proclaims our Catholic character,” he said.
Inside there is a childsize altar. Each day starts with a prayer. Bible stories are told and incorporated in play. Each term focuses on one Catholic value. This term, the value in focus is charity.
“We tell them the story of the Good Samaritan in different ways. We use props as well. We tell the story over and over again, just to reinforce the message,” he said.
Mr Siasoco said one of the challenges they face is that both parents are usually working. This means they need their children to stay beyond 4pm.
“It is a need we cannot respond to, because we are not a daycare centre. Also, there are so few Catholic early childhood centres around, many parents have no recourse but to bring their children to secular daycare centres,” he added.
Mr Siasoco said funding is not an issue at the moment as they have enough to get by. The subsidy they get from the government is enough to keep the operation going. The Marian ECC’s staff are all registered teachers. They are also well stocked with teaching resources.
“We are an apostolate of the diocese, but we do not receive funding,” Mr Siasoco said. They have close ties to St Patrick’s Church in Panmure as well as with the school. “We really try to be with our wider Catholic community and coordinate with them,” he said.
St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School, for example, has given them a 100-year-old bell that the school wasn’t using. “It’s nice to think that the same bell that called children to school is the same one that calls our children to start the day with a prayer,” he said.