Playcentre Early Childhood

here's is discussion about playcentre,

Playcentre is an early childhood education and parenting organisation which operates parent-led early childhood education centres throughout New Zealand and delivers the Diploma in Early Childhood and Adult Education. Playcentre is indigenous to New Zealand, but is now also established in Japan.

Their mission is stated as "Whānau Tupu Ngātahi - Families growing together."

Playcentre is a family organisation where:

* Empower adults and children to, play, work, learn and grow together
* Honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and celebrate people’s uniqueness
* Value and affirm parents as the first and best educators of their children

so that whānau are strengthened and communities enriched.

Contents:

* 1 History
* 2 Philosophy
* 3 Practice
* 4 Structure
* 5 Education programme
* 6 Notable Playcentre people

(1) History

The Playcentre movement started during the Second World War to provide a break for mothers as well as means to allow for the social development of the child within a cooperative environment. The first such Playcentre was established in 1941 in the Wellington suburb of Karori. There are currently over 450 centres around New Zealand with Playcentre being the dominant provider of early childhood education in rural areas.

Playcentre was instrumental in introducing the concept of education through play and through child-initiated activities to the early childhood setting in New Zealand. This philosophy has since been adopted throughout all New Zealand early childhood education centres through the New Zealand national curriculum for early childhood education. Playcentre remains a champion of child-led non-structured play as the best form of education in early childhood.

The Playcentre model has been copied by groups in other countries, including the Japan Playcentre Association.

(2) Philosophy

Playcentre believes that parents are the first and best educators of their children and children learn best when they initiate their leaning through play (child-initiated play). Within Playcentre children and adults learn alongside each other, in agreement with the socio-cultural model of learning which posits that a child learns best when surrounded by trusted members of his or her community.

Playcentre is a cooperative. Parents decide how their centre will run and are responsible for the education of their children. Parents also make decisions giving direction to how their association (regional body) and The New Zealand Playcentre Federation (national body) will run.

(3) Practice

* Children may attend from birth to school age, 0-6yr,
* Children attend half day sessions, 1 per day, no more than 5 per week
* Minimum of 1 adult per 5 children during sessions
* Sessions are normally mixed age
* Parents run the sessions
* Parents manage the Playcentre, they are responsible for the the building, administration and education of themselves and the children.

(4 ) Structure

Every Playcentre is part of a regional association, there are currently 33, which provides support and training and is governed by the Playcentres. In turn each association is supported by the national body, The New Zealand Playcentre Federation. The Federation is governed by the associations and provides support to met the goals of the associations.

Playcentres are chartered early childhood education providers with the New Zealand Ministry of Education. Independent research and audits by the Education Review Office confirm the quality of Playcentre's programmes.

(5 ) Education programme

Playcentre Education administers the NZQA approved Playcentre Diploma in Early Childhood and Adult Education. The course provides parents with skills to improve their parenting and to provide high quality early childhood education in a Playcentre setting. The programme also assists members with learning learn how to work in a cooperative as well as being the training ground for Playcentre adult educators. The adult education programme is delivered at no cost to the learner.

(6) Notable Playcentre people

Famous Playcentre alumni include New Zealand's first female Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Jenny Shipley, New Zealand's first female Governor General, Dame Catherine Tizard, the Olympic gold medallists, Caroline Evers-Swindell and Georgina Evers-Swindell, Colin Simon (designer of the Christchurch Commonwealth Games 1974 games - Christchurch, New Zealand symbol and the Playcentre Logo), Valerie Burns (Companion of the Queen's Service Order) and a host of sporting, media, business and political luminaries.