Playcentre Upper North Island Region Office

Do you want to see and be part of how your child learns, and develops through play?

Playcentre is your village. See children delight in their surroundings- play with them, alongside them, encourage them to interact with others while you meet other parents and educators.

Parents are the first educators of children, and Playcentres around New Zealand foster the involvement of whānau through early childhood education.

As a family, and as a community, you’ll build your own village with Playcentre: making life-long friends along the way.

This unique opportunity sets Playcentre apart from kindergarten, childcare, preschool and daycare options. Playcentre creates a sense of belonging as families share responsibilities and decision making.

Playcentre caters to families with children aged 0-6 years. This offers families the chance to play, grow and learn together, as well as forge meaningful friendships with other families in the community. Sessions can vary between 2 ½ to 4 hours, and the ratio of adults to children ranges from 1:5 to 1:3.

A focus on child-led learning means that each day Playcentres offer a variety of learning and play experiences such as building, baking, painting, dressing up, singing and sand and water play.

Each Playcentre around New Zealand is cooperatively managed by parents and supported by Playcentre Aotearoa staff at a regional and national level. This provides centres with both the independence and support to meet the specific needs of their own area. It is a fantastic opportunity to extend your own life skills. The chance to formalise some of that learning is also offered through our NZQA accredited education programme, which is provided for adults within Playcentre and supports the informal learning taking place in a centre.

Skills practised when contributing to self-managing a Playcentre develop your skills which could later benefit you and the community, so you can keep being involved in exciting activities and groups as your family grows beyond Playcentre.

Every village, every community can shape what’s important to families in the area, and you can be a part of those decisions and directions.

Every Playcentre offers three free visits, so come along for a visit and see what we’re all about! We would love to meet you and your whānau.