Tēna koutou e Te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi
As we rapidly approach the end of the year, with all the busyness and fatigue that can bring, it’s nice to pause for a moment and celebrate the magic that all this hard mahi at Playcentre can create.
Katie Smith from Paraparaumu Playcentre on the Kapiti Coast was kind enough to share their story:
I started at Paraparaumu Playcentre with my son around mid 2021. At that time there were about 6-7 tamariki enrolled in the Centre and one experienced member who was basically doing it all! We had a discussion about whether to close the Centre, turn it into a playgroup or whether we wanted to continue trying to make it work. There were a few new members who joined around the same time as I did and we were all keen to try and make it work.
We reached out to Waikanae and Paekākāriki Playcentres and had support from their session facilitators who came to help us, along with our Centre Advisor Robyn, and other qualified Playcentre members from different Centres. Having them there meant that we were still able to continue with our sessions, and that we had people who could teach us about Playcentre.
In early 2022 Erin and Bridget joined our Centre as permanent session facilitators. Having their support and guidance gave us confidence and has really helped our Centre start to get back on track.
In the past year, Paraparaumu Playcentre has probably tripled in size since I first started. We now have 20 tamariki enrolled and 16 families. We even had to start a waiting list while we increase our number of qualified Playcentre members!
Our success is really down to all of our amazing volunteers who bring so much warmth, passion and commitment to the Centre and our tamariki, taking it upon themselves to learn the office roles and responsibilities (often tackling several roles at once), attend workshops and complete the Playcentre education courses. They’ve brought their energy, creativity and enthusiasm to every session and make each session inviting and exciting. Our sessions are busy, messy and fun!
This time last year I was stressed, now I feel supported, as everyone helps by taking an active part in making our Centre a warm, happy and welcoming place for our community.
One of our amazing volunteers Diana has shared the thoughts below which I think sums up our Centre nicely.
“It just feels like home, like real whānau for me, with all the cooking, shared morning teas and little celebrations that we have. We are far from perfect (and need to catch up on a lot of things), but it feels so nice and cosy every session. No awkwardness or cold conversations. Every time you see people who want to be there, who share your values and your aspirations, it feels so great”.
Ka rawe Paraparaumu Playcentre whānau, thank you for your aroha and mahi ensuring that the next generation of families will be able to experience this Playcentre kaupapa.
Nā mātou iti nei, nā,
Ann, Bes, Fran, Gemma, Hayley, Heather and Ranee