About Playgroup WA

Playgroup WA has been supporting, servicing and establishing playgroups throughout Western Australia for over 50 years.

Playgroup WA (formerly called the Playgroup Association of Western Australia) was established in 1972 by volunteers who wanted to help support the growth of playgroups which were first opened in the late 1960’s.

Today, Playgroup WA is the peak body for approximately 1000 community, parent-led playgroup sessions, as well as the growing, professional playgroup sector.

Our vision is for children and families to thrive within their local communities. Our playgroups are for children aged 0 to 5 years and their parents or caregivers, providing a place to regularly meet whilst forming supportive relationships and playing. We deliver a range of playgroup models throughout Western Australia, designed to enable playgroup participation for all families and work with other community agencies to develop their playgroup capacity.

The opportunities of social media and information technology have seen us develop extensive reach that is far beyond the imagination of early days, however the core of playgroup remains more relevant than ever. Children and adults thrive when they have positive social networks to support them and children need a variety of positive, social play experiences to support their development.

Playgroup WA’s role is to support parents and caregivers, communities and organisations interested in operating or working with playgroups to create positive experiences wherever they live and whatever their circumstances. Through playgroup, we build enduring local community capacity to support children and families.

As an enduring and independent organisation, we can leverage the collective social and physical infrastructure of playgroups in WA, providing a unique and substantial opportunity to drive community-led support for families in the first 1000 days of children’s development and beyond.

Playgroup WA is a community membership-based organisation run on a not-for-profit basis. Governance of Playgroup WA is vested in a voluntary Board with direct playgroup experience or connection. To read our Strategic Plan, click here.