Playgroups in schools

Why we developed this projectEvidence based research• Supporting the importance of play for children, parents, families, and schools• AEDI data that identifies the South West area and Wendouree as vulnerable in twoor more domainsGovernment Policies• Federal and State, supporting the importance of play and playgroupsTo address local needsServices in the South-West area had identified that:• transitioning to school was an issue• some prep children haven’t had prior experiences of childcare /kinder /playgroups• oral language development was an issue• it can be difficult to engage families• schools were wanting to establish strong community links• schools were wanting to develop effective strategies for working with pre-school children andfamiliesPartnership opportunities• All partners had a strong commitment to work together to build community capacity• Provide pre service teachers with experiences working with families and more time in early yearssettings.