“The broader playgroup community they become like family and you become each other’s village so people help you but you also help them.”
Wise words, delivered at the right time, can change the course of action. At the very least, they can improve someone’s day or mood. That is a big part of the appeal of Little Treasures playgroup in Lara.
“It is always good to have people that you can connect with,” said Michelle, mum of three-year-old Henry.
“When you are not having a good day or you are not having a good week, the experience is ‘Oh yeah, that is normal sort of thing’ and you know that you can always come here on a Friday and have five minutes.”
There are many young families in this large growth corridor of Lara that now is considered part of the outer northern suburbs of Geelong, the fastest growing Victorian city.
Many parents in Lara, mums especially, were looking for a place of belonging, to share parenthood with and beside.
Kay, a volunteer, is aware of the isolation some parents feel in the region.
“Sometimes someone can come in and they don’t have a lot of connections themselves and there is actually more demand than there are places in Lara for this kind of thing.”
“You see posts on Facebook with lonely people, lonely mothers saying they really want to meet other mothers and things like that.”
“New people come in and they are always welcome.”
Tara from Lara took on the role as Children and Families worker (lay minister) at Holy Trinity. She had been a playgroup participant with her son and was eager to contribute to her community. While it was nerve wracking for Tara at first stepping into the new role, the apprehension soon abated, once the group was underway and families joined in. From thereon in Tara has described it as a joy to be part of.
The fact that families can stay in Lara, not having to travel has been of huge benefit, said Tara.
“There is no price that you can put on the value of connecting with other parents in your suburb.”
“It is very isolating as a starting point. It is isolating for the parents, particularly new parents who are navigating having a baby for the first time and the challenges that come with that. A lot of them may not be going back to work or aren’t at work so it can get really socially isolating and it is nice for the kids to interact with other kids in a similar age bracket. It is also pretty cool that they interact with older kids and younger kids too, which has been really lovely.”
A fellow playgroup member, who chose to submit anonymously, nominated Tara as a local Playgroup Champion for her work in getting the playgroup energised and supporting more people in the town of Lara.
“Her efforts helped turn the playgroup into more than just a place for kids, it became a space where parents, grandparents, and community members could connect, support one another, and build lasting relationships. Thanks to Tara's leadership, the playgroup has flourished into a vital part of the community, bringing generations together and strengthening local bonds.”
In her role as a parent at playgroup in the past, Tara felt the power of reassurance from others.
“I came as a parent- how lovely it was to have the wisdom of older women to talk to or the advice they would bring from their life experience.”
Playgroups are intergenerational by nature- this group demonstrates how well multi age groups can enrich each other’s lives.
“It has reinvigorated me,” said Libby, a retired teacher.
“My family tells me not to do something if it doesn’t bring you joy- and this brings me a huge amount of joy.”
Libby shares a cake on the day, addressing the whole group to thank Tara for her contribution to their playgroup community.
There are several volunteers buzzing around, playing with the kids, chatting to the parents and offering everyone tea and cake- and coffee from the special van that came to celebrate Tara as a local Playgroup Champion.
“We see those parents don’t need to be home making something or going to the shops and getting something that is a part of the experience for them, that is part of building a relationship with them and show them we care.”
“We have such a good time here,” said Arlene.
“This is my home, with the kids and everything, they are just so much fun, you watch them growing up.”
Lots of the volunteers came through the church and word of mouth here. Kay met Tara at the op shop:
“She said, would you like to come and help and I said yes. I knew I would enjoy it.”
“I love seeing all the little kids grow, their development because I only see them once a week you really notice those changes.”
“It makes me happy to see them. I am happy watching them, seeing them grow, I enjoy that. I don’t have kids myself so I just enjoy other peoples.”
The playgroup has now expanded to welcomes a babies group once a week.
Reverend Roxanne Addley was contacted by multiple people in the community, asking if it was possible to get a playgroup up and running at Holy Trinity to increase opportunities for families in the township.
“We have the advantage of the beautiful country feel and it is still very much got its own identity, Lara identity which is very community oriented,” said Reverend Roxanne.
“We do a lot of work on building community here. There is a whole range of various organisations that are doing the same thing- keeping the Lara community feel very much alive.”
Reverand Roxanne loves to see how the playgroup has grown, watching the volunteers float around, keeping an eye on the kids so that the mums can have some quality time with conversations with others.
“There are mothers and families needing connection desperately, so this is just such a great platform to give them that connection. You can see that the vibe in here is very warm and friendly and these women have been together now.”
The friendly congeniality of the playgroup makes a big difference in the lives of each person who walks through the door. The families and children are immediately acknowledged.
Michelle talks about how that acknowledgement means a lot to her. She finds that any stressors or concerns are quickly deflated when shared with others who understand. She knows that if she needs to step out for a moment, her son Henry will be cared for. She is moved by the different ways that the people care for Henry and often bring things along that they think the children would enjoy or share something they know they would like.
“It is just great to have that- that they care so much about him but he is not theirs.”
The relationships develop as the playgroup gets to know each other and for solo parents, or solo siblings or indeed anyone- the sense of acknowledgement and belonging creates strong bonds.
“Poor Kay,” laughs Michelle, “playing football every day with him and they know what he likes and they value the child. They know that he doesn’t sit down and do blocks and things like that, he loves sport inside, so they value his gift.”
“They are like his grandparents.”
For Michelle and Henry, the members of the group create a feeling of family and support.
“The girls here have been amazing. When he first started walking, his first steps here and everyone was like ‘Watch watch’! Helping him along.
Three-year-old Henry is dialed into the care he receives at playgroup and Michelle loves to watch how he interacts with those in the safe, familiar playgroup space.
“The kids here just enjoy the simplest things, he just gets to run, he is just so happy that someone is playing with him, someone is talking to him, they love when someone is talking to them and they feel I am important, someone valued me enough to talk to me to play with me.”
“He talks about it all day. He calls this the Tara and Michael playgroup.”
Tara enjoys how this sense of community has established itself at Little Treasures. She loves how the relationships have grown and along with it, her creativity. She loves how the group can make a mess here and clean it up together. She loves how it lets the different personalities of the children explore and play freely. She loves to see the children learning through play. She loves how they can model sharing and taking turns. She loves how good if feels to give back and help others.
“I think to a degree it becomes your village,” said Tara.
“The broader playgroup community they become like family and you become each other’s village so people help you but you also help them.”
That is something to treasure.
Join the Community and Connect with Little Treasures Playgroup
Email: parlara@bigpond.net.au
Article by Sinead Halliday
Photography by Mylie Nauendorf