Space Programme
The SPACE programme is aimed mainly at first time parents and their babies, and has been designed to support parents through the first year of their child's developmental journey. The programme runs weekly for 3-4 terms (i.e. 30-40 weeks). The sessions are run by facilitators who have knowledge, experience, and training in early childhood care and education.
Infants join the SPACE programme around 0-3 months of age. There may be opportunities for older babies to join in with an existing SPACE session depending on the availability of places.
Sessions run for 2½ hours and provide the opportunity to meet and get to know other new parents. The sessions typically include a welcoming and settling in time, followed by a time for sharing and discussion about topics that relate to new parents. Morning tea is provided and there will be opportunities for play, music, rhymes and stories.
The discussion topics will include:
Unit 3 of the SPACE programme provides an introduction to early childhood areas of play and an orientation to early childhood care and education services. Parents are provided with information on various discussion topics and areas of play to develop an understanding of early childhood settings and The Early Childhood Curriculum.
The areas of play that may be explored in this unit include:
The SPACE NZ Trust is a not-for-profit organization registered with the Charities Commission. (CC46081) The SPACE NZ Trust works in partnership with a range of organisations across NZ to deliver the SPACE programme to parents and their babies.
Facilitating this course will be Claire Topping, Manager of the Village Childcare and Sarah Cox Dip. Tch. ECE. Claire holds a B.Tch.Ln.ECE and has trained extensively overseas at The Pikler Institute in Hungary, at RIE (Resources for Infant Educators) in the United States and at Reggio Emilia in Italy and is a specialist in the area of Infants and Toddlers.
For more information about SPACE contact Claire Topping at The Village Childcare on 576 0183 or www.space.org.nz
