Community Playgroups - New Zealand

Program Image

Program

  • Type of Program: Groups of parents who provide early childhood education for their children
  • Age Served: 0 to 5 years
  • Funding Sources: Ministry of Education, community, parents fees, donations and fundraising
  • Presenter: Maureen Simpson (Programme Leader)
  • Address: Early Childhood Development, 110 Mandeville Street [P.O. Box 8175]
    Christchurch, New Zealand 80074
  • Telephone: 03 348 5312
  • Email: [email protected]

Program Purpose

To enable groups of parents and children to meet together regularly to provide educational experiences for children and peer support for parents. To provide a low cost early childhood option in areas of high need and low provision of ECE services.

Program Description

Over 800 groups of parents and children meet in diverse locations throughout New Zealand to provide educational experiences for children. Parents take the prime responsibility for establishing the group, developing the group's philosophy and providing the education programme. Parents are assisted in this task by community groups such as churches, local health and education providers, and parenting and cultural groups. The role of the community group is quite diverse and can include providing a safe place to meet, helping with funding, giving administrative support, providing a coordinator to help run the group, or providing a language speaker in the case of community language groups.

Early Childhood Development, provides Vote Education funding for playgroups who meet criteria to do with hours of operation, parental involvement, administrative systems, the safety of the children and the provision of a broad based play programme. Playgroups are funded at $1.10 per child per hour. While some playgroups operate 5 days a week others will have only one to two 2 - 3 hour sessions, so their funding may be quite low.

Early Childhood Development provides government support services for playgroups, administrative and programme information and resources, and visits for face to face advice and support. Until recently all playgroups received the same level of support but for the last two years support services have been refocused to serve those groups with higher needs.

Playgroups began in New Zealand in the 1970's and have been funded since the 1980's. In the early 90's there was an increased interest in playgroups from the Pacific Island community who saw the playgroup as a pathway to an eventual licensed childcare centre for their children. Pacific Islands Early Childhood Groups operate in the language and culture of their original country. In New Zealand we presently have groups operating in 8 Pacific cultures.

Other population groups which saw the benefit of playgroups were the immigrant, and more recently refugee, communities. Some 'older' or smaller immigrant communities may meet to rekindle language and culture that they see in danger of being lost over time. The German, Dutch, Russian and Spanish groups are among these. Groups formed by more recent immigrants may meet in order to assist the learning of English. This would be typical of the Somali, Afghani and Chinese groups.

Most recently has been the development of Nga Puna Kohungahunga, whanau (family) based playgroups developed by and for Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. These groups are supported by iwi (tribal) organisations who play avital role in identifying families and encouraging them into playgroups. As rural populations decline in New Zealand it is likely that there will be a rise in the number of playgroups, as licensed and chartered centres become less viable in small communities.

Most Unique Program Feature

Playgroups are cost effective, and easy to establish and close according to the needs of the community. They use rented facilities so there is no need for expensive buildings. They use volunteers to run the programme so there is no need for wages to be paid. They are cheap or sometimes free for families to attend so are particularly suitable for areas where cost is a barrier to participation.

Edited by Michael Kalinowski