Introduction to Supported Playgroups
Supported playgroups are managed by organisations and delivered by one or more facilitators.
They are often aimed at supporting the needs of families and children who experience some form of vulnerability or disadvantage or experience barriers to participating in community services and activities.
Some supported playgroups may be targeted broadly such as anyone from a particular community, while others may have a specific focus for particular families or groups such as children with disabilities, refugee families, or Aboriginal families.
Some supported playgroups focus purely on meeting the developmental needs of children, while others focus on meeting the needs of both children and their parents and other caregivers.
A fundamental element of supported playgroups is that are managed by organisations and they generally have one or more paid facilitators who run the playgroup sessions. This is different to Community Playgroups (participant led) which are managed and run by the families attending. Supported playgroups may be established as a result of specific funding such as a grant or may be part of an organisation’s ongoing suite of services and programs.
There can be a range of different types of Supported Playgroups. More information on the definition of Supported Playgroups is provided in the Playgroup Models section.