Is a Playgroup Really Just a Playgroup?

At first glance, a playgroup can look very simple. A few toys, some craft, children playing together and parents or carers having a conversation. But recent Victorian Government recognition of the Hume Community Hub Playgroups suggests there is much more happening beneath the surface.

In 2025, the Hume Community Hub Playgroups won the Victorian Early Years Award for Supporting Parents to Build their Capacity and Confidence. The program was established to support families from refugee backgrounds who were not accessing early childhood services. It now operates across 15 community hubs based in primary schools.

In 2024 alone, the Hume playgroups delivered more than 1,800 sessions, reached more than 29,000 adults and children, and made more than 1,700 referrals to other services. The Victorian Government reported that the program uses play not only to support children, but also to identify needs early, connect families with services and help parents build confidence.

Those figures are striking because they remind us that a playgroup can be much more than somewhere to fill a morning.

For young children, play is one of the main ways they learn. Through play, children begin to practise language, problem-solving, turn-taking, imagination, movement and social skills. Hume City Council describes playgroups as places where children can create, invent, reason and problem-solve, while parents have opportunities to encourage learning through play and connect with other local families.

Playgroup Victoria also points to a growing body of research showing benefits for children’s physical, social, emotional and intellectual development. Just as importantly, it notes that playgroups can support the wellbeing and social connection of parents and carers.

Parents often arrive at playgroup because they are looking for something for their child. What they may also find is conversation, reassurance, friendship and a sense that they are not doing the work of parenting entirely alone.

For families who are new to an area, have limited family support nearby or are unsure where to find help, that connection can be especially important. A familiar weekly gathering can become a place where people learn about kindergarten, maternal and child health services, family support or other local programs. In Hume, this connection to services is an intentional part of the playgroup model.

It also shows why early support does not always need to begin with a formal appointment.

Sometimes it begins with trust.

A parent may be more comfortable asking a question after getting to know someone over several weeks. A concern about a child’s development may be noticed early. A family may hear about a service they did not know existed. Someone who has been feeling isolated may simply find other people who understand this stage of life.

None of those things necessarily looks dramatic at the time, but their effect can be significant.

At LinC Yarra Valley, this is part of the thinking behind LinC Play.

LinC Play provides a welcoming space for young children, parents and carers to gather during the school term. There is play, conversation and connection, but the value of the program is not only in the activities taking place in the room.

It is also in the relationships that can begin there.

A child has an opportunity to play alongside others. A parent meets another family from the area. Someone is welcomed by name. Over time, those small moments can help people feel more connected to the community around them.

The Hume example also raises a broader question for communities like ours.

When we think about the value of small local programs, are we measuring the right things?

Attendance numbers matter. So do the number of sessions delivered and the children who participate. But some of the most important outcomes are harder to count: greater parental confidence, friendships formed, information shared, problems identified earlier and families feeling that they belong somewhere.

These are not always visible on a spreadsheet, but they can shape the wellbeing of families and children.

Sometimes the simplest community spaces are doing far more than we realise.