Moving our family to Adelaide when we didn't know anyone here was HARD. A great kindie made it way easier.
As a full time dad, I've always been pretty purposeful in how I've raised kids - I interviewed a few really well adjusted, kind, successful people before our first daughter was born, and tried to figure out what made them good people.
It turns out the answer they all had in common was "an outdoor childhood." They learned how to play, cooperate, take turns, and resolve fights amongst themselves through unstructured, outdoor play.
I've always been a bit uneasy with the weather-driven "what are we gonna do (inside) today" nature of kindie in Canada, but NPK makes the most of the outdoor environment. Kids learn by doing at this age, and there's tons of doing.
Each play interaction presents an opportunity for social emotional learning, and teachers are there to help the kids learn "everything that they ever needed to know, they learn in kindergarten." Direct, respectful communication, taking turns, the kind of stuff you need in order to be a good human.
Beyond that, NPK formed an incredibly supportive community. Chatting with other parents at school pickup turned into hangout sessions at the tennis court pump track after school, which turned into group birthdays, pool parties, road trips, and lifelong friendships.
Right now I value NPK for the family friendships that came out of it - but 20 years from now, I think I'll value it for setting the foundation of my kids becoming good people.