The SPACE programme is aimed mainly at first time parents and their babies, and has been designed to support parents through the first year of their child's developmental journey. The programme runs weekly for 3-4 terms (i.e. 30-40 weeks). The sessions are run by facilitators who have knowledge, experience, and training in early childhood care and education.
Infants join the SPACE programme around 0-3 months of age. There may be opportunities for older babies to join in with an existing SPACE session depending on the availability of places.
The SPACE sessions are held at a Playcentre, or at suitable community venues. The centre/venue is set up to encourage interactions between the parents, babies, and facilitators.
Sessions run for 2½ hours and typically include:
Unit 3 of the SPACE programme provides an introduction to early childhood areas of play and an orientation to early childhood care and education services.
Parents are provided with handouts on the various discussion topics and areas of play.
The areas of play that may be explored in this unit include: