Kowhai Kids Educare centres and In Home service are family owned and operated, family oriented, and community focussed.

With finance and manufacturing backgrounds, Jennifer and Bryce Dahl originally purchased Warkworth Childcare in 2006. Their interest in and passion for early childhood came about once they had children, and their vision of what they wanted to see in early childhood education, grew out of their experiences as parents with children in big city daycares.

With strong local ties, and a real belief in community, Warkworth Childcare was soon renamed "Kowhai Kids Educare", which Jennifer and Bryce believe gives a better sense of what the service does, as well as reflecting their strong links to the community on the beautiful Kowhai Coast.

In 2009, the Warkworth centre expanded to incorporate “ The Nest” offering a home-like nurturing environment for under 2s.

In May 2010, Kowhai Kids Wellsford (Kereru) opened it's doors, providing all-day and sessional care and education to 20 over 2s. Bryce had worked for 20 years in the Wellsford community, and was thrilled to be able to provide this facility to the local families following the closure of the town's main employer earlier that year. The 2011 project has been the establishment of Kowhai Kids In-home Educare, a home based care & education service for pre-schoolers, designed to run alongside the centres, and allowing Rodney families to choose the childcare option which best suits their needs.

Jennifer and Bryce are very proud of their Kowhai Kids centres and in-home service. They know that the great reputation enjoyed by Kowhai Kids is directly linked to having a dynamic, close knit team of teaching professionals whose passion for early childhood education makes a positive difference to children every day.