Children & Families

Holdsworth provides a range of services to families with young children with the aim of assisting them to deal effectively with the daily demands of parenting. We seek to promote effective parenting skills through building on strengths and social supports. We offer parents the chance to grow in their role and cherish the joys that their child can bring. First-time parents and parents with babies and toddlers find the services particularly useful, but we regularly welcome back many parents with their second and third child and many grandparents who have been long term friends of the Centre.

Comments and feedback from people who use our services.

We have a dynamic and vibrant Playgroup that operates on weekday mornings during school terms. There are additional groups available that engage parents and children together through a variety of programs, such as exercises and games. Ask our Playgroup Team Leader for information or download the Playgroup Info Sheet and the Playgroup Calendar Term 3 (July - Sept 2010)
(NB: this program is continually being updated so please check again or phone 9302 3600 closer to events).

A daily fee applies to Playgroup and there is a reduced rate for Holdsworth members and for concession holders. Playgroup is a subsidised service with salaries, equipment purchase and renewal, activity costs, maintenance/cleaning being met by a combination of your fees and grants from Woollahra Council and the NSW Community Services.

Activities at Playgroup

Parenting Courses run on a sessional basis during the year with the aim of providing parents with management strategies which make parenting easier and more enjoyable. The Triple P Program, run by an accredited trainer from the Sydney Children's Hopsital, helps make life easier as a family, shows parents how to encourage their children to learn and helps them encourage positive behaviour, through learning positive discipline approaches and setting rules. Call 9382 0926 to book

We are offering a new course for parents called Children Are People Too.. This six week series of presentations provides information and practical activities to guide children, using alternatives to rewards or punishments and is based on the belief that a parent’s task is not to deliver consequences to children when they do not comply, but instead to teach children self-control skills so that they can act thoughtfully. The next series will be on Wednesday afternoons at the Centre commencing at 1pm - booking essential 9302 3600.

A list of useful websites for parents of babies and young children can be downloaded here.

Other one-off sessions are run on key issues for parents of babies and young children (see Calendar). We have Baby Days, tailored for the under ones in the Hall on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week. See Baby Days Flyer or ask our Parent Support Worker for details.

There is also Music and Movement three times a week and Storytime on Tuesdays (see Information Sheet).

PlaygroupPlus offers opportunity for parents of children with special needs to meet and discuss parenting.

See our leaflet on the PlaygroupPlus-CarersPlus groups (PDF).

Information on any forthcoming special events appears on our News page.

Send us your feedback and ideas!.

Our children’s services are inclusive and welcoming to all young children but we have additional services for families who have a child with disabilities and these can be seen on our Living with disabilities page.

As with all of the Centre’s programs, we offer referral services for support and assistance that may be offered elsewhere or by one of our partner organisations.

Wet Weather

The outdoor PlayGroup may not operate in wet weather but some indoor activities will be offered subject to available space. If wet on Wednesdays there will be no indoor activities other than Baby Day.

For more information about our Services for Children and Families you can download a
Brochure (PDF) or contact us at (02) 9302 3600 or info@holdsworth.org.au

For information about day care and other children's services in the area see the Woollahra Council site.

When shopping at Kidstuff mention the Holdsworth Centre and Kidstuff will donate 5% of the cost of your purchases to the Centre. Woollahra, Double Bay, Camperdown and other locations.

If you need Acrobat Reader to view any PDFs on this page it can be downloaded free from Adobe

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