June 2004

Learn and play program targets Gippsland families

‘A program that has made a world of difference,’ says Janine, a mother of two about the Gippsland Parentzone program Learn and Play.

Learn and Play is a multi-faceted, holistic parent-focused literacy project that supports parents and children.

It helps parents develop their children’s early literacy skills by creating an environment that encourages healthy developmental learning, empowers parents and increases self-esteem.

It enhances parental literacy, including IT skills, and links parents to relevant service providers and to their communities through social contacts.

Learn and Play targets families from the four Gippsland Neighbourhood Renewal areas of Moe, Churchill, Morwell and Traralgon.

Each program is run over a school term and consists of 10 sessions of two-and-a-half hours.

The program is divided into two components, one for the children and the other for the parents.

The families then meet for lunch, allowing parents to practise the listening and communication skills taught in the sessions.

The children’s program, which caters for infants to six-year-olds, is an integral component.

Childcare staff provide a safe, structured and calming environment for the children.

Within this, they learn behaviours such as washing hands before meals, sitting at the table and listening at story-time.

‘I can feel confident there are great childcare workers watching my son and I know I can pop in and check on how he’s going anytime I like,’ said Jacqui, mother of a four-year-old boy.

The parents’ component of Learn and Play is designed to develop a stimulating environment to encourage learning and development.

Initial sessions include discussion topics such as parenting styles and influences, personal and family values, strategies for managing difficult behaviour, children’s development, self-esteem and effective communication.

During these sessions, parents receive topic tips to be used at home.

Using a digital camera, personal items, scanned family photos and desk-top publishing software on computers, parents create personalised family books.

The books encourage family conversation and familiarity with books.

Parent Educator Liesel Collings said results for parents and children had been excellent.

‘Many have changed or modified their parenting style as they gain a greater sense of themselves as parents and the issues surrounding their families.

‘The repercussions of this are enhanced competence, confidence and support in parenting their children and increased self-esteem.’

An external evaluation of Learn and Play has found it successfully reaches out to families who have generally not availed themselves of other parenting programs.

Funding for Learn and Play was allocated by the Latrobe Valley Ministerial Taskforce after a collaborative effort between the Department of Human Services, Department of Education and Training and Latrobe City Council.

Parentzone is overseen by a consortium of Latrobe City, Anglicare and i-GAIN Quality Learning (formally SCOPE Quality Learning).

• For more information on the Learn and Play program contact Parent Educator Liesel Collings at Gippsland Parentzone on 5128 5629 or 1300 367 700.