At Ashhurst Playcentre, parents and caregivers attend alongside their children, which the website says sets Playcentre apart from other early childhood services. The centre is at 118 Stanford Street North in Ashhurst, Palmerston North, and welcomes children aged 0 to 6. Play is free and child-led, and the activities change every day. The website lists climbing, reading, singing, music, costumes, gardening, carpentry with real tools, baking, sandcastles, swinging, sliding and time in nature. It is a licensed early learning centre that follows the Te Whāriki curriculum, with 16 areas of play, and it offers three free visits before enrolling. The website also describes an NZQA-approved adult education programme for enrolled whānau.
Customers say their young child loved their first time at the playgroup and has been keen to go back since. The website says mixed-age play lets older children learn to share and negotiate with younger ones, and that families form lasting friendships here. Because parents take part alongside their children, the centre is a shared place for whānau and the wider Ashhurst community to come together.