Early Intervention
at the Forefront for
Child and Parent Centres
Parkerville Children and Youth Care’s Child and Parent Centres serve as amazing hubs for early childhood education, offering a judgement-free zone for families to learn, grow and thrive together.
From cost-free playgroups to educational programs and health and support services, these Centres are dedicated to nurturing the minds of children, with a specific focus on ages zero to four. Located on independent school sites in Brookman and Westfield Park, they are a great resource for everyone within the local community.
Early intervention is front of mind at these Centres, ensuring that a child’s developmental needs are met from the moment they set foot in a Centre. These Centres are not only focused on working with the child; there is a strong focus on providing parents with the skills necessary to foster a nurturing home environment.
Connections are constantly facilitated between families and the on-site child health nurse, speech therapist and occupational therapist, who are a key piece of the puzzle in early intervention. Playgroups facilitated at the Centres are based on the developmental needs that are identified for the children in that specific location.
Utilising Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) data, one of our Centres was able to increase the number of children ‘on track’ for physical health and wellbeing in their area from 50% of children in 2021 to 81% of children in 2024. This highlights the importance of early intervention in identifying problem areas, and the benefits it can have on the development of children.
Along with these services, the Centres are always looking for new ways to support young families in their local communities. Just recently, some of the amazing staff at the Child and Parent Centre Westfield Park had the brilliant idea of setting up a free pop-up shop for those in need. They came up with the idea to invite donations from local families, which were then sorted and displayed in a pop-up shop format in the centre. Families from the community were able to visit over two days and take whatever items they needed.
Over 30 families attended across the two days, many of whom were in great need of support. It was a great community initiative which encouraged sustainability, with recycling and reusing quality baby and children’s items an initiative which was embraced wholeheartedly by the community.
Over at the Child and Parent Centre Brookman, they have cultivated a community garden to promote sustainable growth and cooking. Planted by children with the help of their parents, there is a rich selection of flowers and vegetables which are harvested and used to cook delicious meals for those in the Centre.
Stories like these are just some of the amazing ways that the Child and Parent Centres bring together the local community to wrap their arms around those that need assistance most in an inclusive and sustainable way.
If you’re seeking extra support with your little ones, our Child and Parent Centres in Brookman and Westfield Park are a great place to start. If you would like to become more involved in your local Child and Parent Centre or have any suggestions and requests for services, please email adminteam@parkerville.org.au.
‘I love this. Recycling clothes is such a great idea for the environment, and it’s going to families who need it most. When my daughter grows out of her clothes, I’ll donate them to the Child and Parent Centre to help other families, and we can just continue to recycle and help people’.
- Tahnee, a mother who donated
Child and Parent Centre Westfield Park have another instalment of the pop-up planned for the next school holidays, 24 and 25 September. We would love to see the community get involved and make it even bigger than last time.
If you have anything you would like to donate, drop them off at CPC Westfield Park by 20 September or contact westfieldpark@parkerville.org.au for more information.