Centres Of Innovation

Adapted from Executive Summary - Nurturing a culture of care for infants and first time parents:

The SPACE programme at Te Marua/Mangaroa Playcentre Early Childhood Centres of Innovation

Prepared for the Ministry of Education under contract between the Ministry of Education and Victoria University of Wellington and between the Ministry of Education and Te Marua/Mangaroa Playcentre.

Background

The SPACE programme at Te Marua/Mangaroa Playcentre was selected as an early childhood Centre of Innovation (COI).   The early childhood COI programme is part of the New Zealand Government’s 10-year plan for early childhood education and policy: Pathways to the Future/Ngā Huarahi Araktaki (Ministry of Education, 2002).

Te Marua/Mangaroa Playcentre COI team designed a project to address two key research questions:

  1. How does the SPACE programme for new parents and infants, implemented at Te Marua/Mangaroa Playcentre, support and foster their learning?
  2. How does the SPACE team and programme, together with Te Marua/Mangaroa Playcentre, network and support collaborative relationships?

Two cycles of action research were completed between 2005 and 2007. Action research tools included observations, parent interviews, facilitator reflections and cross-sectoral consultations (interviews and a focus group).

Key Findings

Some main themes and findings from the research questions included - Supporting Relationships and Interactions, Facilitating Environments, Fostering Holistic Learning, Connecting Families and Communities, Tools and Artefacts, Community of Learners and Inquiry, Transformation of Participation, Collaborative Support, and Communication across Sectors.

Comments

The findings of the research affirmed the value of the SPACE programme at Te Marua/Mangaroa Playcentre.  A parent commented “I would tell anybody who is pregnant now to join a SPACE session.  I found it really empowering and it gave me confidence and Chris [her infant] loved it and you know he’s going to be empowered and get confidence if his mum is.  The better I feel about being the parent, the more that he’s going to get out of it (Parent interview, Action Research Cycle 2).

To find out more about the COI SPACE project at Te Marua/Mangaroa Playcentre: