Wairarapa Montessori on Lincoln Rd is back in business after being granted a provisional licence by the Ministry of Education [MoE].
After receiving a complaint from a parent, MoE investigated the centre on August 21 and later suspended its licence after finding it was non-compliant in a range of areas.
There are still areas in which Wairarapa Montessori remains non-compliant, MoE Wellington regional leader Nancy Bell said.
“Under a provisional licence, the service can operate but must address remaining areas of non-compliance within specified timeframes.”
The centre will be monitored regularly to ensure progress is made in addressing areas of non-compliance.
Parents were notified on Tuesday afternoon that the centre would be re-opening at 8am yesterday.
When the centre closed on September 1, it left Wairarapa with no Montessori centres after a separate Montessori preschool in Solway had its licence suspended in August and then permanently closed.
Parents who had been upset by the temporary closure of Wairarapa Montessori sent letters in support of the centre to MoE.
Tia Mita, who has one child currently enrolled and another set to start in two weeks, is “absolutely ecstatic” that the preschool is reopening.
The parents who wrote letters to MoE love the centre and consider co-owner Pauline Harter a “huge asset” to the Montessori community, Mita said.
During the six-week closure, one family enrolled at the centre had returned to Australia, Mita said, with the uncertainty over Wairarapa Montessori’s future a contributing factor to their decision to leave.
Mita herself had even considered moving to Wellington if no Montessori centres were available in Wairarapa.
The MoE licencing process involves an initial probationary licence, which is issued for a period of one year before an assessment is completed and a licence is granted in perpetuity, with the expectation that centres will adhere to regulatory and licencing requirements at all times.
Wairarapa Montessori co-owner Steve Lee declined to comment when contacted by the Times-Age.
