Playgroup Australia’s members support some seven thousand playgroups across Australia, operating in most postcodes and involving well over a hundred thousand families.
Play has huge benefits for children, their families, and their communities. Play can strengthen community networks and wellbeing across generations, as demonstrated by a new and popular program of children’s playgroups being hosted in aged care homes.
However, in today’s busy world playgroups don’t just materialise by magic. Families sometimes need encouragement to get together with others in their community, and benefit from support with time, locations and logistics to make sure they get connected. This is particularly true for families who are disadvantaged or have children with disabilities.
Playgroup programs are highly cost-effective ways of connecting families and children up, to create a village through play. Hamilton Stone has been working with Playgroup Australia to help ensure the Australian government recognises the potential for these groups to maintain and build community identity and resilience. Expanding playgroups can bring great social and economic benefit to communities, and there is great scope for these activities to lift quality of life for older Australians and for children with disabilities and their families. Hamilton Stone hopes this will be recognised in future budgets.