Child care on Rarotonga

Hi there, Im moving to the Cooks to live with three little ones under 4, can anyone give any advice on child care facilities on the island if any and what going rates are. Not having any luck with the search engines on this one. Cheers

At this time I would not recommend taking 3 wee ones to Rarotonga. Dengue fever is very real and from what I hear, no fun at all, possibly lethal to small children. Despite governmental actions (clean-ups, inspections, and aerial spraying of highly toxic chemicals) there have been over 900 cases in the last year.
You don't say where you are moving from, but I would bet that family life on Rarotonga is quite different from what you are used to especially in regards to child care.
If you are determined, or being required by job or whatever, check the Telecom Directory for church groups that might be of some help. Sorry to be discouraging, but I have 3 grandchildren whom I wouldn't take to Rarotonga at this time.

I'm currently living in the Cooks, and yes there are problems with dengue at the moment. My son is actually still recovering after a nasty bout of it. When are you moving? However, that aside, regarding your question about childcare, formal facilities are pretty much non-existant. There is one local daycare centre, I think, operating from a woman's home, which is advertised sporadically. I have noticed the occasional ad in the local papers for babysitting, but usually people seem to hire live in nannies, often from the Fijian community here. I'm not sure of the going rate, but would guess around the $4 - 6 /hr range. I know some people who have a live in nanny. She gets free room and board, but babysits nearly 24/7, does cleaning, cooking etc and works 6 days a week to get $120/wk. Slave labour is another name for it...

I'll ask around re childcare and post something for you if I find anything of interest. My kids are past the childcare age, so I haven't taken a lot of notice until now!

PS ameanjoe, there hasn't been any aerial spraying as yet. Roadside spraying is planned for the next couple of weeks, if the rain clears. At this stage, I don't think aerial spraying is planned. I hope not, anyway.

Thank you both kindly for the advice. Yes I am worried about Dengue fever. Im coming over from NZ and yes a very different setup for child care here to what jeaniej mentions. Im moving over at the end of May with my mother who will stay with us until we are able to sort out the child care situation. Wow very surprised to hear of only one daycare center. I wonder what it is like. Not too keen on the live in nanny, not very necessary for me, but yes slave labour is definately what that sounds like. How do the punanga reo's rate for how the children are cared for. Im very keen for them to pick up the language. I have heard of the private pre-school Te Uki Ou, they say its a good one but I can't find any contact information or information on charges. Anything you find would be very helpful. Thanks again

Yes, Te Uki Ou has a good reputation among ex pats. I think the fees are fairly hefty though (if you are on local wages) at about $45/wk. Actually, that was the rate a friend was paying for a primary aged child, so I'm not sure whether pre-schoolers are the same. I think the pre-schoolers attend from 8am - 12, whereas the primary students are at school until 2, or 2.30. The phone number for Te Uki Ou is (682)23509. The principal's name is June Hosking, from memory.

The only daycare centre in the local phone book is Mary's Daycare (682)26535. I have tried to call a few times this morning, but no answer. I have a feeling this centre isn't operational any more, but maybe you could contact them and confirm.

Like anywhere, the quality of child-care is very much dependent on the individual. Many of the carers here seem to be wonderful, whereas there will always be a few who are less than ok. Many of the Fijian women don't speak CI Maori, so that is an issue to consider, although your kids could learn Fijian, which is also an interesting language.

Good luck with your preparations. We have been living on Rarotonga for nearly 2 years and absolutely love it. There have been many issues and tears, but overall the experience has been fantastic. For us, the main problem has been the standard of education (our kids are both secondary school age), but I think the offset of that has been the cultural lessons we have learned.

I'll certainly give the day care a call and the pre school and look into the Fijian carers option. Looking forward to the move, and am only hearing good things about living there. Meitaki maata