Practice · Tool or method
High Quality Playgroups
- Children, Youth, Family
- Education, Skills
- Community Development
How to set up and run high quality playgroups in a local community. Playgroups support childhood devleopment and parent connection..
Joining ShareCraft is free. We bring you straight back here.
- Free to licenseCreative Commons
- Field Guidechapters and guidance
- 28 resourcestemplates and tools
About this practice
What is this practice?
This field guide translates the Australian Institute of Family Studies' (AIFS) nine Principles for High Quality Playgroups into a practical, step-by-step operating manual for anyone planning, facilitating, or managing a playgroup.
Produced by the CFCA (Child Family Community Australia) team at AIFS and funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services, the Playgroup Principles were developed through national workshops, focus groups, and research synthesis to establish the core characteristics of effective playgroups — applicable to both community (volunteer-run) and supported (professionally facilitated) models.
What makes this practice distinctive?
The guide is structured around nine non-negotiable principles — from play is central and connection matters to culturally safe and strengths-based — and shows practitioners how these principles translate into every aspect of delivery: how you set up the room, greet a new family, choose an activity, or make a referral.
It covers both community playgroups (volunteer-run, open to all families) and supported playgroups (professionally facilitated, targeting families with greater needs or vulnerabilities).
What's included
This ShareCraft licence includes:
- A comprehensive field guide for practitioners and managers (all four domains: Foundations, Practice, Quality, Operations)
- 10 practical tools and templates (session planner, intake form, facilitator self-assessment, activity ideas bank, referral tracker, outcomes framework, supervision guide, risk register, quick reference card, cultural safety checklist)
- Curated links to the full CFCA Playgroups resource suite
Who it’s for
Community organisations and non-government organisations delivering early childhood and family support services who want to establish or improve playgroups. Particularly valuable for organisations running supported playgroups for families experiencing disadvantage, isolation, or vulnerability, as well as community playgroup coordinators wanting evidence-based guidance.
Target population
Families with young children aged 0-5 years, including: all families seeking community connection and play opportunities for their children (community playgroups); families experiencing social isolation, disadvantage, or vulnerability (supported playgroups); culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) and newly arrived migrant and refugee families; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families; first-time parents with low confidence or limited social networks
How it’s delivered
- Group work
- Peer delivered
- Outreach visit
Share what works.
ShareCraft is where organisations in the social sector find, license and share practices that work. Join free to open this Field Guide.