Darfield Playcentre

19/08/2026

Over Matariki we have been learning about manaakitanga — caring for and looking after others in our community. As part of this, our Darfield Playcentre whānau collected a small selection of non-perishable food items to donate to our local community pantry.
Today, some of our older tamariki helped wheel the trolley full of donations down to the pantry, where we left them for anyone in our community who might need a little something extra in their pantry during these winter months!

13/08/2026

Locals supporting locals - thanks Darfield Four Square for funding our Playcentre Educators Award graduate gifts - you're the best!
Playcentre is a special early childhood education service in Aotearoa, because not only do we support parents to play and learn alongside their children, creating a space with high adult to child ratios and a community for parents, we offer a free adult education programme. The Playcentre Educators Award - PEA - is the second module of the programme and expands on knowledge around ECE regulations and delivery of safe sessions as well as important bi-cultural and te reo learning. Most of this work is done by parents in their own time.
At Darfield Playcentre we think it's really important to acknowledge this time commitment our parents make, as it builds our quality learning environment and supports all our children's learning. But as a not-for-profit organisation, there is nothing in the budget for even a small thank you gift 😔
So we reached out to Darfield Four Square and they came through with two $50 vouchers for us to gift our PEA graduates. We can't thank you enough Darfield Four Square - we were so excited to be gifting these to our TWO new graduates this term. Nga mihi nui - Wendy and the team at Darfield Playcentre See less

19/07/2026

Welcome back for Term 3! If you would like to come for a free visit to see what Playcentre is all about, send us an email to [email protected] and we will organise it 😄

15/06/2026

Congratulations to our latest Playcentre Adult Education graduates! Thanks to the generosity of The Darfield Bakery, we are able to say thanks to all our members who complete the Playcentre Introductory Award with a bakery voucher to enjoy a much needed coffee and a treat.

At Playcentre, we value parents as children's best first teacher. To support this, the Playcentre Introductory Award gives parents a practical, deeper dive into the ins and outs of children's play, learning and positive behaviour guidance.

If you'd like to visit us and find out more, email [email protected]

27/05/2026

Thanks for having us to play yesterday Malvern Soft Play - we had a wonderful time exploring, creating, jumping, climbing, balancing and throwing all those wonderful balls!

Check out Malvern Soft Play on facebook and every Tuesday at the Sheffield Hall

18/05/2026

Locals supporting locals - thanks Darfield Bakery for funding our Playcentre Adult Education achievement gifts - you're the best!

Playcentre is a special early childhood education service in Aotearoa, because not only do we support parents to play and learn alongside their children, creating a space with high adult to child ratios and a community for parents, we offer a free adult education programme. The Playcentre Introductory Award - PIA -delivers knowledge to whanau about the ECE curriculum, positive behaviour guidance, planning and assessment of their children's learning and how to create stimulating and fun invitations-to-play on session. Some of this work is done by parents on session and some is completed through workshops in their own time.

At Darfield Playcentre we think it's really important to acknowledge this time commitment our parents make, as it builds our quality learning environment and supports all our children's learning. But as a not-for-profit organisation, there is nothing in the budget for even a small thank you gift 😔

So we reached out to Darfield Bakery (because going there is always a treat) and they came through with some vouchers for us to gift our PIA graduates. We can't thank you enough Darfield Bakery - we are so excited to be gifting these to our graduates over the coming year. Nga mihi nui - Wendy and the team at Darfield Playcentre

19/04/2026

We are back for term 2. Email us at [email protected] to organise a visit. You can do 3 free visits to see what Playcentre is all about, and ask any questions you may have.

Hours: Monday - Friday 9am-12pm

Come join the fun 😀

16/04/2026

📣SPACE AT DARFIELD & ROLLESTON🥳
Our new Space groups are open for booking and we would love to have you join us for term 2:
Darfield Thurs PM: https://bookwhen.com/babiescanplay/e/ev-s9ogu-20260423123000
Rolleston Thurs PM: https://bookwhen.com/babiescanplay/e/ev-svw4g-20260423123000

Space is a lovely 20-week programme where you will enjoy heuristic play, music and movement, books, crafts and facilitated discussions around parenting and development. Space is a great way to enjoy some special time with your baby while meeting other parents with little ones of a similar age in a relaxed, safe and nurturing environment.
For more info email [email protected]

02/04/2026

11/03/2026

Space at Darfield Playcentre. For babies under 6 months.

We are excited to let you know that we have a new Space group starting in term 2. Be quick as this programme does full up fast.

Space is a lovely 20-week programme where you will enjoy heuristic play, music and movement, books and facilitated discussions around parenting and development. Space is a great way to enjoy some special time with your baby while meeting other parents with little ones of a similar age in a relaxed, safe, and nurturing environment.

This is for babies that are under 6 months old. The link to book the Thursday sessions which run 12.30pm-3pm

https://bookwhen.com/babiescanplay =ev-s9ogu-20260423123000

For more information email [email protected]