Michelle Poole first attended Peachester playgroup in 2004 when her eldest daughter was five months old. The young mum immediately recognised how valuable playgroup was to her, her child and the community. Shortly after, Michelle chose to volunteer to coordinate the group as the Contact Person. Michelle didn’t know that her decision would soon change her life.
"I was just hooked and loved the play experiences. By watching other children your child learns so much. I made lifelong friendships and the thing that brought us together was playgroup. I thought every mum or dad should know about this. Then I volunteered as a Contact Person and started running the group ... You really get to understand and learn and connect with your community. You learn so much about the people and the services, what you can get out of it and what you can give back too."
Also volunteering at various stages as Treasurer and Zone Coordinator, Michelle was busy hosting events throughout the region, including Messy Play Days and promotional activities, presenting talks for new parents at child health clinics and initiating new playgroups in the area. Michelle developed a host of new skills which she soon put to use.
In 2010, when her playgroup years were drawing to a close, Michelle was offered work as a casual employee of Playgroup Queensland. A staff member had been appointed to coordinate the Mons Hub and an assistant was needed. Her skills, passion for, and advocacy of playgroup had been recognised by Playgroup Queensland. Over the years, Michelle has held various roles. Today, she is the Regional Manager, Sunshine Coast – managing the beautiful grounds, playgroup offerings and activities of the Sunshine Coast Hub.
"I had a vision of what this place could become and it’s totally on its way to becoming that and more ... over the years, we’ve had an amazing group of volunteers and in more recent years, together with volunteers, a dedicated team of staff. Together we made this happen."
Supporting families every week across eight different playgroup sessions, Michelle gains great satisfaction from the success of the Hub and the important role it plays in connecting families on the Sunshine Coast.
"This work is super important in the whole realm of mental health and wellbeing. It is truly what has driven me, I get so much satisfaction."
In almost two decades of close interaction with families, Michelle has seen many changes in parenting, including the effects of social media, parents returning to work earlier than before, and fewer preschool-aged children attending playgroup. Nonetheless, Play Matters has continued to respond to the needs of families.
"Play Matters is responding to the changing needs of families by offering online resources, free membership, a wider range of programs, free facilitated baby playgroups and targeting families earlier ... During COVID lockdowns, we delivered online live playgroup sessions for our baby groups to keep families connected and to give them the opportunity to share and celebrate important milestones. When we returned to meeting physically, some of the babies had not met people outside of their family and became quite overwhelmed by the experience."
The value of socialisation at all ages had never been more apparent and playgroup had such a significant role to play in maintaining and healing those connections. Today, Michelle’s passion hasn’t waned and her belief in the value of playgroup for parents and children continues to empower her enthusiasm and vision for the future.
"My hope is for all families to be informed about Play Matters programs and services and how they can connect, from pregnancy and beyond. Play matters at every stage of a child’s development. Through play, we learn, discover and grow."
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