What is a playgroup#

The Education and Training Act 2020 (The Act) allows for the service provider (organiser) of a playgroup to be an individual or a group of people. In many cases this will be a parent or groups of parents.

The Act defines a playgroup as a group that meets on a regular basis to facilitate children’s play and in respect of which:

• no child attends for more than 4 hours on any day, and
• more than half the children attending on any occasion have a parent or caregiver present in the same play area at the same time.

This ensures playgroups have a high ratio of adults present while children are learning. It also limits the length of time a child can attend on any 1 day to 4 hours maximum.

What playgroups are for#

The main aim of a playgroup is to provide a learning environment that is varied and responsive to the interests and learning needs of individual children. In addition to providing ECE opportunities for children, playgroups provide an informal support network for parents. 

Playgroups encourage and support parents to learn about the education needs of children and acknowledge the significance of their role in their child’s early education.

Types of playgroups#

There are different types of playgroups in New Zealand. Some have a primary focus on maintaining culture, language or philosophical approaches, such as ngā puna kōhungahunga | Māori language playgroups, Pasifika, Montessori or Steiner playgroups.

Establishing a certified puna kōhungahunga

Playgroups#

Playgroups are the only ECE service that are certified rather than licensed. This means that there are fewer regulatory requirements that need to be met. Playgroups are:

• run by parents and cater for groups of children from birth to school age and their parents
• typically meeting for 1 to 5 sessions each week to provide play, social and learning opportunities for children
• can be certified and may be less formal than other kinds of ECE services.

Some playgroups operating in rural areas may only have 1 session per week, while others may run up to 5 mornings a week. A playgroup may be the only facility in an area that focuses on early childhood education.

Pasifika playgroups#

In addition to the above playgroup requirements, Pasifika playgroups focus on developing and maintaining Pasifika languages and cultures.

Ngā puna kōhungahunga#

In addition to the above playgroup requirements, Māori language and tikanga is reflected in the structure and content of the ngā puna kōhungahunga sessions.

Funding for playgroups#

To receive funding and support from the Ministry of Education, playgroups are required to be certified.

Certification is optional and it is possible for playgroups to operate without a certificate. But if a playgroup is not certified, it will not receive funding and support from the Ministry of Education even though it must operate within the definition of a playgroup in the Education and Training Act 2020.

Difference between a playgroup and other ECE options#

There are 2 main types of ECE service – teacher-led and parent-led. All teacher-led services and parent-led services other than playgroups are licensed.

Types of early learning