On Tuesday 1 October, Playgroup SA presented the Playgroup Excellence Awards at Government House, hosted by Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, as part of their 50th year celebrations.
Four Catholic school playgroups, from across South Australia, received awards recognising the remarkable efforts of the playgroup facilitators and volunteers who have made significant contributions to the development and wellbeing of children and families.
All the award-winning playgroups are part of the Supported Playgroups in Catholic Education (SPiCE) Program. CESA’s supported playgroups are run by trained facilitators and are based on three Foundational Pillars: Faith Formation, Learning and Community. The playgroups seek to provide children and families from the wider community, time to grow and learn with others, opportunities to develop meaningful friendships and a place to experience wonder, joy and love.
The Playgroup of the Year award is the highest accolade, recognising an all-around exemplary playgroup that demonstrates exceptional quality in play and learning opportunities, community engagement, facilitator excellence, positive outcomes, and innovation.
Mini Marks is a weekly playgroup held on Tuesday mornings between 9-10.30am during term time at the college’s Benedict Campus.
The Excellence in Inclusion award recognises playgroups that create accessible and inclusive environments, ensuring all children and families feel welcomed and valued.
St Brigid’s Playgroup runs twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9-11am during term time.
The Excellence in Supported Playgroup Facilitation award acknowledges the outstanding facilitation of supported playgroups, which cater to families with diverse needs, helping them to build social support networks.
St Augustine’s Playgroup is held every Tuesday and Friday, during term time, between 9-11am.
St John the Baptist School, Plympton received an honourable mention, as runner up, for their Play2Grow Playgroup which demonstrated excellence in Intergenerational Play and Practice. This award acknowledged playgroups that foster meaningful interactions between different generations, enhancing the wellbeing of both children and older adults.
St John the Baptist School, runs an intergenerational playgroup where people of all generations can come together on Friday mornings, during term time, between 9-10.30am.
Read more about their playgroup.
Juliana Martino, Early Years Advisor, Catholic Education South Australia said:
“The awards honour those who go above and beyond to create inclusive, supportive, and stimulating environments where children can thrive, and families can find the support they need. They highlight the achievements of individual playgroups, their coordinators and underscore the collective impact of these communities’ dedication to early childhood development. A huge congratulations to all the winners and a heartfelt thank you to all playgroup facilitators who provide such an important service to our school communities.
“CESA’s SPiCE Program would like to acknowledge Playgroup SA and the work they have done in providing spaces for children and families to play in SA for 50 years. The support they provide our SPiCE Program is invaluable and contributes to the provision of high-quality supported playgroup programs within our system.”
To find your local Catholic school playgroup visit our School Directory.
Catholic Education South Australia Executive Director, Dr. Neil McGoran, was in London yesterday attending the launch of The Commonwealth at 75, a commemorative publication celebrating 75 years of the Commonwealth. Held at the historic Westminster Abbey, the launch highlighted the achievements of leaders across the Commonwealth’s 56 member nations and marked King Charles III’s new role as Head of the Commonwealth.
