Koala Kids Playgroup a sense of community and support for young families

By Charlie Cann //

Koala Kids Playgroup Banner

Mount Pleasant Uniting Church runs a morning playgroup on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

The program is run by volunteers and is held in the main hall of the church.

Families pay a fee of sixty dollars a term or two hundred and thirty dollars for the year. The money goes towards paying for the running costs of the playgroup.

Each day there are set volunteers and families that attend which allows friendships between families and volunteers to form and support networks to be built.

There are 10 volunteers in total, with two to three volunteers and 15 to 20 children each day.

The children age from birth up to four years old.

Playgroup has been running for 22 years and was started by a mother and member of the church, who had at the time had children of her own and wanted to get young mums together and allow children to socialise.

Playgroup is a way of reaching out to the community and bringing people together.

Each morning follows the same structure. Beginning with a hello song to introduce one another, free play, a story and arts and crafts linked to the story. Afterwards there is free play while the volunteers make morning tea for the children, which usually includes fruit and cheese on toast. The volunteers watch the children, while the mothers sit down with their morning tea and talk. Finally, the children clean up the toys and the morning is concluded with a goodbye song.

Mrs Maureen Moore has been attending Mount Pleasant Uniting Church for around 38 years and has been involved in many events run by the church.

Mrs Moore has been involved with Playgroup for 11 years. She first took her grandson to playgroup and then started volunteering.

“I enjoy working with children and I like getting to know the parents,” Mrs Moore said.

She believes that Playgroup goes further than just the day, as support networks are built there is always someone to help or lean on.

A mother from Hong Kong who attended the playgroup was diagnosed with cancer. The volunteers would keep in touch, cook her meals and just be a support for her and her family.

Another memory of Mrs Moore’s was an autistic boy who first came to playgroup withdrawn, couldn’t speak and didn’t have eye contact. Since attending, he now gives eye contact and smiles.

“You watch them gain confidence and watch them grow.”

Michelle Marshall has a three and five-year-old and has been attending Koala Kids for four and half years.

She first came because she wanted to get to know people within her community and wanted her son to socialise with different children.

Mrs Marshall was also president of the Koala Kids committee, but has since resigned when her son started school. She introduced the role of support lady, who attends each session and gives support where need.

Koala Kids Playgroup Classroom Poster - By the children

“You’re not living your surviving with young children,” Mrs Marshall.

Mrs Marshall son now attends Primary school and a few of the mothers from playgroup go to the same school. They are still friends.

One mother said that “playgroup is an escape, when you walk in and someone holds the baby while you can have a coffee and all the volunteers are positive.”

Trish Salmond is the Coordinator of Koala Kids and once she took over the role, she changed how things were run and allowed the volunteers and mothers to take control.

“Koala Kids empowers families and gives support, the children won’t remember what happened at playgroup, but the mothers and fathers will,” Mrs Salmond said.

The support and friendship gained from Koala Kids Playgroup is why its different from any other playgroups. The sense of not only a community but a family.

Mount Pleasant Koala Kids Playgroup Classroom