She had already been involved with a community centre in Feilding that included classes on child development and parenting, as well as a cooperative playgroup,[9] so she was a good fit to lead the growing movement.

[5] This allowed the movement to easily spread, including to rural areas where other early childcare options were unavailable or impractical.

[10][7] Playcentre was instrumental in introducing the concepts of learning through play to the early childhood setting in New Zealand.

[1] As a cooperative, parent volunteers decide how their centre will run and are responsible for the education of their children.

[2] In 2022 Playcentres voted at a special general meeting to replace the previous constitution with a new Deed of Charitable Trust.

[21] Since 2000, government policy has trended towards a focus on a qualified teacher-led curriculum for ECE providers to be funded.

The facilitator supports the parents to organise the ECE aspects of sessions, while centre advisors help ensure compliance with Ministry of Education requirements for curriculum, supervision and government funding.

The programme also helps members to learn how to work in a cooperative as well as being the training ground for Playcentre adult educators.

Jenny Shipley,[26] New Zealand's first female Governor General, Dame Catherine Tizard,[27] the Olympic gold medallists, Caroline Evers-Swindell and Georgina Evers-Swindell, Colin Simon [28] (designer of the Christchurch Commonwealth Games 1974 games – Christchurch, New Zealand symbol and the Playcentre Logo), and Valerie Burns (Companion of the Queen's Service Order [29]).