Castlewellan Community Playgroup

Castlewellan Community Playgroup is a cross community playgroup that was established back in 1978 by a number of mothers and volunteers in the local area. The playgroup was set up to assist mothers and families intergrate their children into some form of daycare where they could socialise and communicate with other children of the same age. In 2003... the playgroup joined the PEEPS programme ( Pre-School Education Expansion Programme) set up through the 'Department of Education Northern Ireland' (DENI). This programme incorporates a number of features designed to promote high quality pre-school provision, including adherence to a common curriculum in all settings, in line with the Curricular Guidance for Pre-School Education published by the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA). Funded pre-school education is available in Castlewellan Community Playgroup. Pre-school places are allocated to children on the basis of the playgroups admissions criteria. Pre-school education is designed for children in the year immediately before they enter Primary 1. This year, that means children born between 2 July 2007 and 1 July 2008 inclusive who reach their 3rd birthday on or before 1 July 2011. " In order to utilise and build upon the learning that has taken place in the home and its immediate environment, adults should provide children with a rich variety of play activities and other experiences in a stimulating and challenging environment. The focus should be to allow children to learn without experiencing a sense of failure"Read More