Kia ora, my name is Marie Hindle and I am the licensee of TLC The Learning Centre™. TLC The Learning Centre™ is a family affair, owned by myself, my husband Chris Barrett, and the Hindle Family Trust (my father Liam Hindle, my mother Pauline Hindle, and my sister Kate Vusoniwailala). 

I am originally from an IT background, and TLC came into being as the result of my search for childcare for my children Zach and Annelise, who are both TLC The Learning Centre™Alumni, and are now at school. What has grown into the TLC The Learning Centre™ philosophy is the result of the kind of loving care that I wanted for my children. I have attended the RIE® Foundations Intensive Training and am fully committed to seeing TLC The Learning Centre™ align as closely as possible Magda Gerber's Educaring® Approach. 

Ania Wojcikowski - Centre Manager

Ania is a qualified and fully certificated teacher. Ania has attended the RIE® Foundations Intensive training, has completed her RIE® centre based practicum (sometimes referred to RIE® II). Ania is currently working on her RIE® Internship (sometimes referred to as RIE® III) which is the last step towards becoming a RIE® Associate. Ania has also been to the Pikler Summer School.

Ania is on the board for the New Zealand Infant and Toddler Consortium (NZITC), a charitable trust.

Ania has over 10 years of TLC experience, including a full Continuity of Care Cycle. Ania is one of the mentoring teachers for our teacher certification programme using the Educative Mentoring approach. 

Ania has two sons Zachary and Manawa, who are TLC The Learning Centre™ alumni and are now at school, as well as a step-son with her partner Donovan.

Mikayla Brooker - Has a degree in Psychology and has completed her ECE Graduate Diploma, and has applied for her provisional teacher certification. Mikayla has completed the RIE® foundations training.

Mikaya has worked with the downstairs team as a Tui teacher but has moved upstairs to begin a cohort in the Kākano room.

Vera Yang - is a qualified ECE teacher.

Vera previously worked for TLC The Learning Centre upstairs for three and a half years, learning all about our philosophy under Katherine Bussey. Vera returned to TLC in 2017 when we head hunted Vera to return to our team. Since her return Vera has been working downstairs, and has now moved upstairs to start a continuity of care cycle.

Vera is mother to Goldwyn, who is a TLC The Learning Centre™ alumni and now at school. 

Vera has completed the RIE® foundations training.

Samantha Kingsbeer

I am a qualified and provisionally registered early childhood teacher with six years of experience and am very passionate about the Magda Gerber’s Educaring® Approach. I love all age groups but my passions lie with infants and toddlers.

Sam has completed the RIE® foundations training.

Gemma McAuley - Ko Gemma tōku ingoa. No Tāmaki Makaurau ahau. At nineteen years of age, as well as attending art school, I started working part time at a small creche. After completing my art degree, I gained a Graduate Diploma in Teaching ECE in 2010. My passion for working with infants and toddlers was apparent at an early stage in my career. I am genuinely excited by my work, researching in my own time to develop my pedagogical knowledge, revisit child development theories, and form a philosophy based on respectful practice and freedom of movement. I enjoy utilising my art and craft skills to make open-ended resources for children to play with and explore. I am continuing my learning journey as a member of the TLC whānau along with my son Henry, who is part of the TLC whānau.

Alex Neilson - Is a qualified and provisionally certificated teacher and has worked in early childhood since 2012. Alex has worked as a key caregiver in our Kākano, Weka, Kea and Tui rooms.

Alex is passionate about working with infants and toddlers, and sought out TLC The Learning Centre™ due to her desire to work with us using Magda Gerber's Educaring® Approach. 

Alex has completed the RIE® foundations training.

Dianne Dawsin - I am a qualified and fully registered Early Childhood Teacher. I have over 20 years experience caring for a range of age groups, and love meeting new families and children from diverse backgrounds. I describe myself as very organised, honest, reliable and hard working. I am friendly, with a sense of humour, and I promote respectful relationships with children and families. My approach to teaching is one of dedication and enthusiasm, and I’m aware that I am always learning and adapting my practice.

I live in Mt Wellington with my husband Peter. I have two adult children Scott and Gemma, and four grandchildren aged four years and under and they are all my pride and joy.

I fell in love with TLC’s natural play environment and I am very excited to be part of their team. I am looking forward to getting to know the children and families that attend the centre as I love the relationships that can be built with families that can last long after they’ve finished at TLC The Learning Centre.

Jayshree Charan - is a qualified and provisionally certificated ECE teacher with four years of teaching experience.

Jayshree previously worked in a Reggio inspired private kindergarten, and joined TLC The Learning Centre™to work with our older children in the Tui group.

Jayshree chose TLC The Learning Centre™because of the value we place on respectful relationships.

Janine Brooker  is currently a Kea key caregiver. Janine is a qualified and fully certificated teacher, who has completed the RIE® Foundations training and attended the RIE® Conference in Los Angeles. 

I am a mother of 3 children and have lived in  the beautiful Waitakere area for over 35 yrs.  I found my passion for working with young children  15yrs ago when I worked in homebased care. I enjoyed meeting the wonderful families and loved the diversity of my community. I was also a passionate playcentre mum and was able to see the benefits of free play for young children, and how adults could support them. I began my formal qualifications in 2005 and gained my diploma in ECE in 2010.  I worked with infants and toddlers in a large centre for 4yrs and it was there, I discovered Magda Gerber's RIE® philosophy and Emmi Piklers revolutionary beliefs about how infants learn and develop.  It was a life changing moment and shaped my teaching practice, personal beliefs and values from then on. In my practice I also worked alongside young children and  found magical moments, surprises, challenges and inspiration in each age group. Teaching children under the RIE® philosophy just made sense to me, and as I learned more, it answered many questions. It became a way of understanding infants, toddlers and young children as unique individuals and seeing relationships as an integral part of teaching young children.  As my learning journey continued I was honoured to be a part of the RIE® foundations course and eventually my biggest wish came true when I got a job at TLC The Learning Centre™. I am excited to be part of this learning journey and to meet amazing children and their families.  My goal is to continue to learn and grow as a RIE® inspired teacher and to feel the joy, working alongside  unique, capable and confident children who teach me something new everyday.

Kylie Gorringe - has completed the RIE® foundations training. Kylie has a little girl Vayda-Lee with her partner Corrie, and Vayda-Lee is at TLC. Kylie has 8 years of TLC The Learning Centre™ experience, and has done a full continuity of care cycle and has worked with every age group at TLC The Learning Centre. Kylie has moved back into the Tui team to replace Peng, and provide Peng’s cohort with continuity until they leave for school.

Emma Cho Has a Bachelor of Arts (Linguistics & French), a Graduate Diploma in Arts (Asian Studies) and a Graduate Diploma in teacher (Early Childhood Education). Emma is a qualified and provisionally certificated teacher, with two years teaching experience.

Sanna Cooke is a qualified and fully certificated teacher. Sanna has attended the RIE® Foundations intensive training.

I have a little girl, Minna, and a little boy Moe who are TLC The Learning Centre™alumni, and who are now at school, a little boy, Moe, My third child Suski is at TLC The Learning Centre™.

I am committed to, and passionate about, the philosophy of free movement and respectful interaction. I am a dedicated Early Childhood Professional with diverse industry experience working alongside teachers and families from varied cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. With over 17 years experience in early childhood education and development, I have a strong background in teaching with the Pikler approach.

Natasha Ghag - Is our Administrator.

Natasha has a Bachelor of Commerce, and Post Graduate Diploma in Business and Administration in Marketing. New to early childhood education, Natasha brings a wealth of experience in relationship management and administration.

Elena Marouchos  - RIE® Associate

Elena now works forTLC The Learning Centre™ as a mentor and consultant for philosophy, pedagogy and management.

Kia Ora , my name is Elena and I hail from South Africa but have made New Zealand my home.  Becoming an ECE teacher was my dream but prior to this I had a rich and rewarding career as a systems analyst and business consultant.  My education as diverse as my career which afforded me the opportunity to work in various positions which I constantly draw upon.  My primary degree is in Psychology, Public Administration and Personnel management with a few others
collected along the way.  

My passion for working with infants and toddlers began when I visited TLC The Learning Centre™ on a practicum and never left!  My image of children and notions of what quality childcare looks like forever changed and thus began another journey fuelled by a desire to know more about the works of Magda Gerber and Dr Emmi Pikler.   I completed the Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood from Auckland University in 2010.   I have attended the Pikler intensive summer course in Budapest.

Helen Holmes - is our wonderful cook. Helen is a long time Ponsonby resident. Helen is also an artist and jeweller. 

Plonie Hill - was our Administrator for 10 years and also worked as a relief teacher in that time. Plonie retired as . our Administrator in December 2018. Plonie occasionally returns to TLC The Learning Centre™ as a reliever.