Playhouse Incorporated, the Parliamentary Childcare Centre, is a not-for-profit community childcare centre tucked behind Parliament at 33 Ballantrae Place in Thorndon, Wellington. It was established in 1992 and takes children from six months to five years. The centre is managed by a senior teacher and an office administrator, and it is governed by a parents' committee. Staff stay a long time, with most teachers having more than 11 years' service, which the centre says gives continuity of care, especially for its under twos. Families do not need to work at Parliament to enrol.
The centre is licensed for 30 children a day, including up to 10 under twos. Ratios are three children to each adult for under twos and four to one for older children. Full-time and part-time places are available, and families can access up to 20 hours of government-funded ECE. Children have an apple tree to climb, a sandpit, balance bikes and a mud kitchen, and families get regular updates through Storypark. The centre follows Te Whāriki and is bicultural. Families who have used it describe the staff as warm and caring. Nearby, Kelly Club Thorndon, 0.6 km away, is rated 5.0 from nine reviews.