Playcentre publicity

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 239, 12 April 1988, Page 3

Playcentre publicity

This week is Playcentre Publicity Week and the Waimarino's Playcentre in Raetihi is celebrating accordingly. Throughout this week a display of pre-school-ers' work and photos from various activity days will be in the Wanganui Savings Bank in Seddon St. An open day on Wednesday will be an opportunity for mothers with children who have previously never attended Playcentre, to visit and find out how much fun it can be. The playcentre currently has a role of over 40 pre-schoolers, aged from birth to five years. A good percentage of those enrolled are under two and a half years of age, according to the president of the playcentre committee, Marie Scarrow. Mrs Scarrow said the organisation does not receive Government funding for children under the age of three years. "There is only one other group within the Waimarino that meets once a week, that caters for the needs of the under threes," said Mrs Scarrow, "so.they come along to Playcentre and benefit from the interaction with children their own age and older. "The thrice weekly

morning sessions are also an opportunity for parents to get together, she said. "Playcentre exists as much for the parents as it does for the children. It provides a supportive, non-threatening environment for parents and children to be themselves in." Supervisor Julia Martin said many people misconstrue the meaning of the concept 'free play'. "Some people interpret it as meaning a 'free for all', when in fact it means offering children a choice of guided play activities." Playcentre caters for the needs of the entire Waimarino, providing a valuable social service to the isolated rural areas. A plus feature is that there is no waiting list. "As the role increases, we enlist more parents," said Mrs Martin. Increasing the number of sessions to four days a week is currently under consideration. Construction of a new building which will create a covered-in sandpit and water play area for the winter months is expected to begin at the end of this month. Fund-raising for the project began in March 1987. The Wanganui Education Board gave their approval for the building earlier this year.