Aspirations Early Learning Centre

Hafiza and Amir Pirani have recently opened their first early childhood education centre. Following her passionate belief in the wonders of the early years, Hafiza, a teacher with over 10 years of experience in Early Childhood Education, and her husband Amir - a Sales Manager for an international firm - decided to take the leap of faith and create a centre where strong values and cultural diversity would be an asset, and where children’s capabilities would increase while they are having fun. These ideals came a step closer to reality for them with the establishment of Aspirations Early Learning Centre - a centre licensed for 60 children, located in Papatoetoe, Auckland.

The Challenges

Even though Hafiza had a reasonable amount of experience in the industry, she faced many challenges along the way. Setting up a centre can be a complex process, and many things were new to her. Construction, regulations and compliance were all a learning curve. As the project started to take shape, they learnt about building consent, playground design, centre layout and choice of furniture and materials. Marketing know-how was another challenge to her, including identifying their target audience, finances and budgeting. All along though the Piranis were always sure of one thing - they wanted a centre that looked different, not just the standard neighbourhood childcare. Their vision was to have a centre that is inviting and inspires learning and exploration in children.

The Solutions

Having worked in the early childhood education sector, Hafiza knew about Play’n’Learn. However, about two years ago, while in the planning phase of opening up their centre, she met David and Darren at the ECE Expo. The Piranis had a number of meetings with Darren where they discussed what they wanted their centre to look like - and they liked the solutions that he suggested. Weighing up their different options, they decided to work with Play’n’Learn because of the personal approach and consistency of the service. They were especially impressed by the way Darren took the time to understand exactly what they needed. Play’n’Learn, Hafiza says, was able to work according to their needs and timelines.