September 2011 Playgroup of the Month
Elwood Community Playgroup
 Elwood Community Playgroup is Victoria's biggest playgroup. It runs 38 playgroup sessions a week (up to eight a day) at the Burnett Grey Maternal and Child Health Centre in Elwood, a building owned by the City of Port Phillip. A total of 418 families and 546 children mainly from Elwood go to a playgroup session there each week and almost all are referred to the playgroup by maternal and child health nurses who run six week new parent programs a few blocks away at Poet's Grove Children and Family Centre.
Between 90 and 95% of new parents who come to the playgroup stay.
New parents start at Elwood Community Playgroup with their babies in a specially designated indoor baby space with baby mats, a mirror for tummy time, age-appropriate books, toys and equipment and outside a rubberised ground surface, small cubby house and climbing area.
When children get older, families move to a larger indoor space where there are more activities and outside a space four times bigger than the baby area with all that's offered there plus a wooden boat, large sandpit and swings. As parents have second and subsequent babies this larger space becomes a multi-age area.
The smooth transition from new parent group to baby playgroup to older playgroup makes Elwood Community Playgroup a model for playgroup best practice.
Playgroup Victoria CEO Viv Cunningham-Smith is pictured (right) presenting Elwood Community Playgroup president Kim Annesly (left) with the Playgroup of the Month award.
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