The scheme, funded by Sure Start, operates as part of the council's education and children's services and was developed to provide a mobile childcare and play service across Perth and Kinross with a particular focus on rural areas and areas where it can support parents seeking to access employment and training opportunities.
Manager Jane Greig explained that they have two vans, which are full of all the equipment required to turn a room into a creche. 'We have everything from baby wipes and socket covers to screens and toys,' she said. Community creches, which run on a drop-in basis, can be set up almost anywhere - in community halls, schools, nurseries or hotels.
On average, Playstart conducts 25 creches a week, which includes some to support adult education classes and a weekly creche in Perth's homeless hostel. There are also sessions in the evenings and at weekends. The project currently employs sessional creche workers, but Jane is hoping that she can soon offer fixed-term contracts.
During the creche, parents can stay and play with their children, or they can enjoy two hours' respite. Working with community learning, social care officers and health visitors, the scheme often provides services for parents. These range from screening sessions from health visitors, to women's aid, and treatments such as aromatherapy.
Playstart accepts commercial bookings as a way of subsiding the free creches it runs.
The Scottish Pre-school Play Association was one of the groups involved in the development of the project and area manager Mandy Mayo is delighted with the outcome. 'It is a very useful service. They have set targets and they continue to achieve them,' she said.
The new venues, running for six weeks from 9 July, are in Coupar and Alyth in Angus on Mondays and in Blair Atholl in Perth and Kinross on Thursdays.
More information is available by contacting Playstart on 01738 477848.
