Supported Playgroup Better Than Ever
This year we’ve made some exciting changes to the Sylvanvale Supported Playgroup.
When a child isn’t meeting their developmental milestones, early intervention and early learning supports can be an enormous help to the child and their family alike.
Sylvanvale’s Supported Playgroup provides a unique opportunity for families to ask its experts any questions they have and to review their child’s development. It’s also a great opportunity to build social connections with other families and to have fun.
Our Supported Playgroup takes place on the grounds of our multi-award winning, inclusive Mikarie Child Care Centre. It’s supported by a member of Sylvanvale’s Clinical Services team, as well as a highly trained early childhood educator. The free playgroup has been funded by a NSW Department of Education Start Strong Pathways Grant.
As an organisation committed to continuous improvement, we were motivated to make some exciting changes to our supported playgroup this year.
It now follows a set format, starting with a developmental-friendly activity such as arts and craft, followed by learning a key word sign and finishing off with story time.
We have also started inviting guest speakers to our playgroup sessions, providing families with opportunities to speak to allied health professionals from other organisations. Our guests have included a paediatric physiotherapist, speech therapist, occupational therapist and a dietician.
As well as giving families and carers even more scope to learn about their child’s development, the popular guest sessions have helped refer families to other supports available where there are concerns.
Our changes this year have been welcomed by families and provided them with additional support and guidance to assist in their child’s critical stages of development.