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Murrumberna Playgroup is excited to present: Story & Rhyme Time Monday 29th April Starts 10am 117 Murrumbeena Road This special event will run during our usual session between 9:30-11:30am. Murrumbeena Playgroup is free for members and one free trial session for non-members. No booking is required. Please note that adult remains responsible for their child during session.

 
 
 
 
 
 
We are changing our fees and open days structure to better accommodate people’s requirements and help cover our costs. We hope this makes it easier and more manageable to attend.
New Fee Structure
 
TERM BY TERM: $45 per school term. This gives you more flexibility to pay for the times you are most likely to attend.

If you decide you’d like to join towards the end of a school term, it’s $5 per week that you’d like to attend. 

New Dates Open
 
From 15th April, we are switching our Thursday to Tuesday (based on member feedback).
Murrumbeena Playgroup will now only remain open during school term, and will be closed during school holidays
Our Open Dates in 2024 are:
Term 1: 29 January to 28 March
Term 2:  15 April – 28 June
Term 3: 15 July – 20 September 
Term 4: 7 October – 20 December 
Change to Free Trials
 
We are now offering prospective members 1 free trial as opposed to 2 free trials. 
Why we are making these changes
 
The Murrumbeena Playgroup is run by a very small group of volunteer parents who help keep the group running. We keep a close eye on membership numbers and our finances, and unfortunately we currently don’t have enough members to keep the playgroup open in its current format. We have to pay rent to the Murrumbeena Uniting Church, and as it currently stands we are not going to cover it for 2024. In order to save on rent, we have decided to cut back on the days we are open and see if the change in fee structure makes it easier / more affordable for new families to join. It is absolutely our goal to keep the playgroup open, so hopefully this will have a positive impact!

About us

flexible

You can attend as many sessions as you like each week and are not locked into a particular day. You can even attend 2 FREE TRIALS to see what playgroup is like.

fun

We have a huge variety of indoor toys, crafts and outdoor equipment for children from babies to preschoolers with all sorts of interests.  

member run

The playgroup is entirely run by the families who attend. We encourage families to share their talents with the group!

EXTRAS

Across the year, the playgroup has previously had themed activities for cultural celebrations such as Lunar New Year, Easter, Diwali and Christmas. 

We also hold some incursions that are included in the price of membership.

sessions and fees in 2024

We are open 3 days a week during school term times. Members can attend as many times as you like for the term fee of $45.  New members get 1 free trial so you can decide if you want to sign up for full membership. Please contact us if you have any questions about this. Playgroup Victoria membership is required before signing up Murrumbeena Playgroup for insurance purposes (this is currently free).

Closed Public holidays and school holidays.

It's all about children having fun and parents getting to chat with other local families!

9:30 Playgroup opens and play begins!
A parent volunteer, opens playgroup and gets out a few activities. Families arrive when suits them and get out any additional activities that their child would like to play with. As they arrive, they sign in and scan the QR code.

10:30-11:00 Morning Tea or Lunch
The children are invited to sit together to have a snack or lunch. This can be inside or outside depending on the weather. This is also a nice time for the parents to have a tea or coffee. 

*Due to allergies, we ask that there are no nuts-every parent is responsible for their own child.

11:15 It’s time to clear 
As the children finish their snack or lunch, they get to play some more! Around 11:15, families start cleaning the toys and packing up all of the equipment together.

11:20 Parachute or bubbles
At the end of the session, we usually play with the parachute or bubbles together. Sometimes we sing songs, sometimes the children just enjoy running under the parachute and on top. Sometimes, children might sit at the edge and watch!

11:30 Session ends

MONDAY 9:30 - 11:30

Tuesday - 9:30 - 11:30

FRIDAY 9:30 - 11:30

faQ's

1, How can I enrol?

There is an enrolment form on our website. A paper copy is available in the enrolment officer’s drawer if a families do not want to complete on line.

2, Can families attend without  a booking?

Yes, you can attend one free trial ,and do not need to book in advance. It’s handy if you sign up to Playgroup Victoria membership (https://www.playgroup.org.au/become-a-member/) which will streamline the enrolment process for if you decide to become a member, and is also best practice for insurance purposes.

3, Why do we need to sign in?

The attendance records are to know who attended each day and is a also a requirement of Playgroup Victoria who arranges insurance for the group.

4, What to do in the event of an accident or injury?

There is a first aid box located on top of the cabinet which has supplies that can be used if required. There is also an incident Book which is required to be filled out as soon as is practical after the accident/injury.

5, Can older children attend?

Unfortunately, school-aged children are not covered by our insurance and so are unable to attend playgroup.

How we run

Our playgroup is run entirely by the families. We ask families be involved where possible to keep the playgroup running.

CLEANING UP EACH SESSION

 All attending familes help to clean up at the end of the session. Especially important now to meet COVID-safe requirements.

OPEN/ CLOSE ROSTER

Each session relies a group of people who are available to open/close the playgroup room. There is a roster made up once every 3 -6 months and typically has 3-4 people rotating for each day so that it is possible to swap as needed. We know that things come up!

WORKING BEES

These happen during the year and families are encouraged to attend one if they can.

PARENT COMMITTEE

The committee oversees the running of the playgroup. There are a number of roles including, Co-ordinator, Assistant Co-ordinator, Secretary, Enrolments Officer, Treasurer and Fundraising, Publicity Officer. There is also the option of joining as a general committee member if all other positions are filled to help with jobs that come about from meeting discussions.

Committee meetings are held once a quarter.  Anyone is welcome to attend.

Way to attend

Given there is no density requirement for gathering currently, NO BOOKING is required and you can just pop by to attend any session. After two free trials you can register to join on our website. Our Co-ordinator will contact you and add you to our membership group.

get in touch

We'd love to hear from you. Please feel free to email us or come in and chat during a session.

Rear of Murumbeena Uniting Church
117 Murrumbeena Road, Murrumbeena

info@murrumbeenaplaygroup.org.au

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Updated 29/4/2023