Eastern Bay of Plenty Playcentre Association Playcentre SPACE Programme
Eastern Bay of Plenty [EBOP] Playcentre Association first heard about SPACE at the Playcentre Conference in Wellington in May 2005, and felt that SPACE was a programme that they would like to offer to their local community.
The EBOP Playcentre SPACE Team was formed and began investigating the possibility of SPACE being run in Whakatane. At that time, the Ministry of Education was preparing to fund pilot Parent Support and Development (PSD)projects in selected areas of New Zealand, and the EBOP Playcentre SPACE Team submitted a proposal for consideration. In March 2006, the Ministry of Education selected EBOP Playcentre Association as one of eight pilot providers in the country.
The PSD contract with the Ministry of Education is for 3 years. The objectives of the contract are to:
- Improve effective parenting by vulnerable parents, building on their skills and knowledge,
- Increase participation and engagement in ECE by vulnerable children and their families,
- Improve the consistency between what children learn at home and in the ECE environment,
- Lead vulnerable parents to be better connected to broader social supports and informal networks.
Through the PSD contract, the team are provided with funding, support, professional development, and access to the Ministry of Education national library.
EBOP Playcentre SPACE supports parents to make informed choices for themselves by offering them information, support and advocacy. It also facilitates relationship building between parents and the community. EBOP Playcentre SPACE links closely with community organisations such as Parents Centre, REAP, Plunket, Community Mental Health, Family Violence Organisations and others as appropriate.
As at July 2008, seven SPACE groups had graduated in EBOP Playcentre Association, with a further six SPACE groups up and running. SPACE is supporting and enriching EBOP infants, parents, families and the local community through the unique programme that it offers.