Somerfield Playcentre is a charity-run early childhood centre at 47 Studholme Street in the leafy Somerfield suburb of Christchurch. It is a parent-participation centre, so parents stay and play alongside their children, who are aged from birth to six. The outdoor space has open areas for running and enclosed leafy areas for hide and seek and quiet play. Playcentre says it follows the Te Whāriki curriculum, with 16 areas of play, and offers infant programmes for newborns to one-year-olds. Its website also lists a free, NZQA-approved adult education programme for enrolled families. Sessions are advertised for Tuesday and Thursday from 12.30pm to 3pm, under the name "Space". Visitors can arrange three visits before enrolling.
Parents say the Space sessions have excellent facilities and are fun, and that the group quickly becomes a support network for parents of babies of similar ages. The facilitators are described as excellent. Another parent attends the Babies can Play session on Tuesdays and praises the discussion and the creative time with the baby. Nearby, five other childcare listings are within a kilometre. Rosy Cheeks Early Learning Centre is 0.5 km away with 5.0 from 14 reviews, and BestStart Cashmere is 0.7 km away with 4.7 from 15 reviews.