PRESCHOOL SERVICES

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29368, 22 November 1960, Page 2

PRESCHOOL SERVICES

Co-operation Planned

A firm move towards • cooperation at the national level was being 1 made by the two recognised pre-school services, the Nursery Play Centres’ Association and the Free Kindergarten Association, said the president of the Christchurch Nursery Play Centre Association (Mrs P. Dalmer) in her annual report.

A useful experiment in cooperation had been seen in Fendalton, she said. For more than 12 years the Fendalton kindergarten and the nursery play centre had both used the Fendalton Hall. During that time the two pre-school services not only shared a building but also Shared permanent equipment, responsibility for cleaning, had joint meetings of mothers’ discussion groups, and conferred regularly on rolls and admissions.

“It is important that the results of a case like this should be used to promote that degree of co-operation at local level essential in any national scheme,’’ said Mrs Dalmer. Many pleasant contacts had been made with the Christchurch Free Kindergarten Association during the year, and a small liaison committee had met to promote co-operation by an exchange of information, she said. “Tliirty-four centres are now affiliated to the Nursery Play Centre Association, 32 operating and two in preparation,” said Mrs Dalmer. “Twenty of these, are situated in or near Christchurch and the remainder extend from Timaru to Seddon with Runanga and DunoUie on the West Coast.” NeW Centre al Halswell

“Last year centres were reported to be in preparation at Blackball and North cote. Blackball has since affiliated to the Buller Association, and the Northcote group has withdrawn as no suitable premises were available in that area. On November 1, 1960, a new centre opened at Halswell where a keen and responsible group has been working steadily throughout the year. New groups have also affiliated from Dallington and Harewood, and both are hard at work in the hope of being ready to open early in the new year. “The association is now composed of 34 committees representing 1043 young children and their parents, working together to provide good play groups for the pre-school children in their neighbourhood. Through it many are getting to know themselves, their children and one another better and finding skill and enjoyment in helping to build a healthy community,” she said.

A new scale of maintenance grants to nursery play centres announced in July by the Minister of Education was welcomed with relief, said Mrs Dalmer. “Equally welcome to us was the Minister’s definition of the way in which these increased grants should be allocated. It behoves us all, however, to use this increase wisely in the interests of pre-school children,” she said.