Pre-school Playgroups (Hansard, 18 June 1976)

§ Mr. Tim Renton (Mid-Sussex)

I beg leave to present a petition on behalf of the Pre-school Playgroups Association. Pre-school playgroups started 15 years ago, and there are now more than 9,000 playgroups which are members of the association and 400,000 three and four-year-olds at these groups. Attendance fees are paid by the parents, and funds are raised by voluntary effort to make ends meet. The cost to the public purse of these pre-school playgroups is under £1 per child per year, compared with £700 per child per year for places in nursery education.

The story of playgroups is one of success, self-reliance, and community involvement. In the process of providing for their own children, parents have grown in confidence in relation to the 958 children, other parents and society at large. The Pre-school Playgroups Association is now a movement in its own right and the happy alternative to nursery education.

This week has been National Playgroup Week, and as a grand finale to that week the Pre-school Playgroups Association wishes to petition this House.

The petition Sheweth, That for fifteen years parents and children have enjoyed playing and learning together in playgroups, and That the Pre-school Playgroups Association and their supporters want to make sure that tomorrow's families can continue to work together to help their own children. Wherefore we urge your Honourable House to do all within its power to support the development of the playgroup movement and to help it have a permanent place in future provision for the under-fives. And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever humbly pray, etc.