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When to meet?

Most playgroups meet once a week for 1.5 to two hours. 

Talk to the families involved to see when they’re available. 

The times and days that your preferred space is available will obviously also affect the day and time you will be able to meet.

It’s also a good idea to check when other things for children are on in the community (e.g. Launching into Learning at the local school).

Most playgroups happen in line with kindergarten schedules or school start and end times. Most also take a break during school holidays as playgroup activities may not be suitable for older children. 

If playgroups choose to run in school holidays, it’s important to think about the space and toys for older children and to decide if the playgroup should have a clear age limit.

Where to meet?

Choosing a place for your playgroup is a big decision so please get in touch with Playgroup Tasmania before you sign any formal leases or agreements. 

There are some key things to think about when you’re choosing a place for your playgroup sessions.

• Whether it’s safe for children, families and volunteers
• Whether it’s easy for your families to get there 
• Whether it has the things your playgroup needs (a kitchen, clean toilets, an outdoor or indoor play area). If the place doesn’t have everything on the Venue selection checklist, please contact Playgroup Tasmania for help and advice.

Once you have a list of two or three places that fit these basic needs, Playgroup Tasmania can provide support to contact the venue owners to find out if and when they are available and how much they cost to use. 

If your playgroup has registered with Playgroup Tasmania as a Community Playgroup – Parents and Volunteers Led, your playgroup is covered for contents insurance, public liability and property damage.

This means the people organising the playgroup will not be expected to cover costs if something goes wrong or there is an accident. 

Groups who register as a Community Playgroup – Organisation Led need to have their own insurance cover.

Find out more about insurance coverage in the Playgroup Tasmania insurance fact sheet.

You may already know a couple of families who are interested in starting a group, but at playgroups, it’s the more the merrier (and the less work any one person ends up doing).

1. Talk to everyone you can think of who may be interested in a playgroup. Most people join a playgroup because a friend asked them to come along.
2. Talk to your local Child Health and Parenting Service (https://www.health.tas.gov.au/health-topics/child-and-youth-health/child-health-and-parenting-service-chaps#service-locations) (CHaPS) to see if they can help get the word out to families you don’t know personally.
3. Start a Facebook page for the playgroup.
4. Post on social media asking people to get in touch if they’re interested. Most Tasmanian communities have a Facebook page for people to share information about what is happening in their area.
5. Playgroup Tasmania can help put a poster together to display on local bulletin boards or in shop windows (make sure you ask if it’s ok first).

Too much interest?

If interest from families is a bit overwhelming or the venue you want to use has limited space, there are plenty of solutions. For example, you could break into two separate playgroups. 

If you want help, please contact Playgroup Tasmania at admin@playgrouptas.org.au

The most rewarding playgroups are those that feel like a shared space for everyone involved 

This means that everyone shares in decision-making and helps with the jobs that need to be done. 

The simplest way to make this happen is by asking the families interested in setting up the playgroup whether they would like to take on responsibility for some tasks.

You don’t need to have any official roles, but it is helpful to divide the tasks in a way that: 

• makes sense to your group 
• does not give too much work to any one person
• is enjoyable for the people taking the tasks on, for example, if someone really enjoys meeting people, they could take on the role of greeting families at each session.

It also helps if someone writes down what each person has said they will do and shares the list with all involved.

If you want help, please contact Playgroup Tasmania at admin@playgrouptas.org.au

Are you required to pay for venue hire?  Do you want to purchase special books, toys or equipment for your playgroup? Or maybe you want to cover the costs of an excursion or picnic? 

There are lots of ways you can raise money to help fund your playgroup’s special and ongoing activities. 

1. Charge an entry fee

This is the simplest way to raise funds but it is important to think about whether this is a good idea for your playgroup families and how much to charge. 

Take a look at our Should we charge an entry fee?  Information for help.

2. Fundraise 

Sausage sizzles, cultural food fairs,  bake sales and garage sales are all relatively simple ways to raise some funds for your playgroup. 

It helps if you can tell people what you are raising the money for.  Make sure your families discuss this before you start to fundraise. 

If you have enough time and people to help, you can consider more complicated fundraising activities like a raffle or auction.

Before you get started, check the Tasmanian rules about how raffles need to be run to make sure you are running it legally.
You can find the rules here: Raffles and Trade Promotions (https://content.nfplaw.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Raffles-and-trade-promotion-lotteries-Tas.pdf)

3. Apply for grants

Applying for a grant is a good way to get hold of a sizeable amount of funding, but it can be a complicated process.

Ask Playgroup Tasmania for information about available grants and what they can be used for.

From time to time Playgroup Tasmania has funds available to help with playgroups; these are often linked with special events such as Children’s Week and National Playgroup Week. We will make sure all playgroups know about these and what they need to do.

While most playgroups do not have huge sums of money to manage, it is still important to keep cash and money related information safe and secure.

It is also very important that no one feels that they need to pay for playgroup related things out of their own pockets.

Parent and volunteer led community playgroups usually find that all they need is a lockable cash box (often known as ‘the kitty’) where they keep playgroup money and receipts, as well as any notes that explain how money was spent or received. Some playgroups find using a ledger book is handy for this. It’s important that playgroup organisers know where the kitty is kept and who has a key.

Some playgroups find it beneficial to set up a bank account for their playgroup.

It is important that no one uses their personal or family bank account to receive money or make transactions on behalf of your playgroup this keeps playgroup funds clearly separate from people’s personal savings. 

If you want help and advice on this or ideas for other ways to manage your playgroup’s money, contact Playgroup Tasmania at admin@playgrouptas.org.au.

It is great if families do not have to pay an entry fee to attend a playgroup, but that is not always possible. 

Your venue may charge you a fee or rent.

You may wish to provide snacks, tea or coffee for your families.

Or you may want to buy toys, books or craft supplies to support fun activities at your playgroup.

All of these things cost money, and it is really important that playgroup organisers do not pay for these things out of their own pockets.

Gold coin donation

You can choose to cover costs by asking families who can afford it to pay a gold coin donation each time they attend. Depending on how many families take part, this may not cover your group’s costs.

Small attendance fee

If your group has specific costs like rent, you may decide to charge a small fee for each family that attends to cover this amount. This could be as little as $2 per family per session, or as much as $5. 

Make sure families know why the fee is being charged and what it is being spent on.

It is also important to consider whether some families will not be able to attend if you charge an attendance fee.

If you prefer not to charge an entry fee or ask for donations from families, there are lots of other ways you can raise funds.