We were delighted to welcome back many of our playgroup friends from last year today.

Our Wednesday playgroup runs from 10am-12pm and is suitable for parents, carers and grandparents to attend - with their littlest darlings (of course)!

We set up activities each week, have tea and coffee available (or the cafe is just next door … and you can borrow a mug from us to minimise waste) and we have staff on hand to facilitate introductions if you feel a little shy the first time you come along!

Our playgroup is primarily run outside in our front garden, but we also set up a space inside with toys if you prefer an indoor experience.

No need to book in, just bring your snacks and a hat and come along! All welcome.

Looking for a friendly venue for a play on Wednesday mornings? Come along and visit our garden (and indoor space when the weather isn’t so great!) between 10am-12pm.

You can grab a coffee from the local shops or pack your snacks and just come on in. We have a sandpit and cute cubby for imaginative play, and Lee puts out a little suitcase with changing art and craft supplies each week - so there’s always something to keep the littlies busy.

This is a free program that anyone is welcome to attend.

Did you know if we have a new weekend playgroup on at ACC in 2023 - for Italian speaking families? If you are interested in coming along and joining some young families in our garden then the next one is on Saturday13 May and then on every second Saturday for the rest of the term. The cost is $20 per term to join and you can book in on our website here.

The Twilight Kindergarten Open Evenings are a fantastic opportunity for parents of future kinder aged children to visit local kinders and make a truly informed decision about which kindergarten is the best fit for their family. 16 different kinders in the City of Darebin are participating in this event this year.

As many young families already know, it useful to start looking for a kindergarten program early as enrolment processes vary across Victoria.

Local kindergartens will be open for tours between 6pm and 8pm on:

• Thursday 23 March – kindergartens north of Bell Street

• Tuesday 28 March – kindergartens south of Bell Street

To find out which kinders are part of the program and how to book in head over to the Darebin Council link here.

Lovely to have the Minister for Women and Minister for Education Natalie Hutchins and local MP Kat Theophanous at Peer Support Playgroup on Tuesday.

We talked about how neighbourhood houses started as women’s organisations (and Natalie took a tour around the centre) before Natalie chatted to some mums about managing work and the juggle with family, childcare etc. - issues exacerbated for families living with disability.

She also talked o Sarah who volunteers here and is completing her VCE as a mature aged student part time through CAE.

Thanks for organising Kat. It is super for our community to have direct, thoughtful and meaningful conversations at this level.