Eden-Epsom Playcentre

Eden-Epsom Playcentre is based in Mt Eden Villages and offers mixed age play sessions. The unique aspect of Playcentre is that it is parent-led meaning parents stay and play alongside their children.

ABOUT OUR CENTRE
For over 60 years, Eden/Epsom Playcentre has been offering a quality preschool programme for children aged 0 to 6 years.
At Playcentre, parents, caregivers or grandparents, come with their children to enjoy educational, stimulating and fun sessions run by trained parents (that is you!). Children receive lots of personal attention and develop friendships with the other children.
Parents enjoy the support and company of other parents. They have access to free adult education courses and workshops.

EDEN EPSOM PLAYCENTRE SESSION TIMES
Monday: 9am - 12:30pm
Tuesday: 9am - 12:30pm
Wednesday: 9am - 12:30pm (This is an outdoor session, held in a local beach, park or reserve)
Thursday: 9am - 12:30pm
Friday: 9am - 12:30pm

FEES (PER FAMILY):
$50 per term (our terms are between 10-11 weeks long and follow the school term dates)
You may qualify for further WINZ subsidies or 20hrs ECE free

LOCATION
Located at the end of Poronui St, in Mt Eden village, our Playcentre has extensive grounds including an open grass area and small forest, vegetable gardens and fruit trees, a worm farm and just about every piece of play equipment and educational resource that you can imagine.

WHAT IS THE TIME COMMITMENT?
All members need to attend a minimum of two sessions per week. Playcentre needs to be your children’s primary (the childcare centre they attend the most) place of early childcare.

A big part of what makes Playcentre unique is that it is a parent-led environment. This means our members are responsible for the running of the Centre. We have a committee and officer roles such as Treasurer, Secretary, PR, Equipment, Property, Education as well as smaller rolls so everyone can play a small or big part. We work together to ensure no one is loaded with too much to do.

There are three evening meetings per term (10 weeks) to attend that focus on both general centre matters as well as planning high-quality sessions for our children.

We also require all members to attend a minimum of one Education workshop per term. This could be a few hours learning about great messy play set-ups, how to incorporate literacy into play or cooking with children.

WE LOVE PLAY
At Playcentre we believe that play is the central activity of children and through play young children are like little scientists, learning about themselves and their world. Your child can explore, create, climb, do puzzles, read, sing, experiment, play musical instruments, wear costumes, have their face painted (or do it themselves!), garden, discover, jump, run, do carpentry with real tools, bake and cook, play games, swing, slide,

IS IT A FREE FOR ALL?
We love to provide our children with the opportunity to decide for themselves what to do and when to do it. This does not mean a free-for-all; we have limits and the high adult: child ratio ensures the children are well supported in their play. The environment and equipment are arranged and selected by responsible adults in such a way that it is safe, stimulating and promotes all-round development.

This promotes confidence, feelings of success, self-direction, independence, discovery, problem-solving decision making, creativity, opportunities to learn from mistakes, self-discipline plus a lot more. Our Playcentre caters for each child's individuality, allowing each child to grow and develop at his or her own rate, pursuing individual interests and developing individual skills.

EXCURSIONS AND OUTDOOR SESSION
We provide the opportunity for you to take your children on excursions to places like Tristar Gym, animal parks or to one of our many wonderful local beaches and parks.

PLAYCENTRE AND OTHER CHILDCARE OPTIONS
Many of our children also attend kindergarten or other child care facilities. Once your child is over 2.5 years of age, with the mutual agreement of the Centre Members, your child may be left on session without you there.

IS YOUR PLAYCENTRE ZONED?
Many families live locally to Eden-Epsom Playcentre, but we also have families who travel from surrounding suburbs.

WHAT PARENTS SAY ABOUT EDEN-EPSOM PLAYCENTRE
“I love the smile that appears on my son's face when it's a Playcentre day. He loves leaping and jumping onto our gym mats and spinning around on the twing swing. He first attended Playcentre as a 3 week old with his two older siblings. As a Mum with three children under the age of 4, it was amazing to provide my older children with the opportunity to spend their morning with me, in such a stimulating environment".

ERO REPORT
*The Education Review Office last visited us in March 2015 and gave us their highest possible rating award. You can read their report here: http://www.ero.govt.nz/review-reports/edenepsom-playcentre-25-05-2015/