Hi
In our area we enjoy a variety of playgroups and Parent and Toddler groups.
Our two youngest daughters are 2 and 4.
My wife was wondering if there are similar groups in Canada, specifically the Calgary area.
We have been over a couple of times recently but never got round to researching this.
We have found it is a great way of meeting people.
Also are there any other Jan 06 AOR's still waiting for Med Reqs?

Thanks
Gary.

I've read posts on here that suggest that Canadian play groups are not as good as those in the UK. However, since I've never lived in the UK, I don't have a real basis for comparison.

When my kids were young, they and I used to participate in Observation Nursery. We enjoyed it. It now goes by the name of Parents and Children Together (PACT). The change of name notwithstanding, it's still going strong. There are a number of different groups under the PACT umbrella in Calgary. There are other play groups in this city, but the PACT ones are the best known ones around here.

There are a number of Wiki articles that you'll probably find helpful. The one that is most relevant to your current question is Calgary Fun.

But you'll probably find it useful to read all ten Wiki articles about Calgary.

A subcategory of the Wiki that would be helpful to you at this stage, if you haven't stumbled on it already, is Moving Logistics - Canada.

Sorry, I don't know about timelines.

Hope that helps.
x

You could have a look at www.meetup.com.

I don't know if they do anything in Calgary but in Edmonton there's group called New Families in Edmonton who meet up at various play places in the city.

Hope that helps.

Nikki, Ian & Thomas

Thank you for the excellent suggestion. I have just tried to add the link to the Wiki article called Childcare Options-Canada. But the Wiki isn't letting me edit at the moment, so I'll do it later. I'll also create a Wiki called Playgroups-Canada that will refer the reader to the Childcare Options article. But again, the Wiki isn't allowing me to create that page at the moment.
x

This was one thing I didn't research before coming out because I assumed there would be parent & toddler groups here the same as there are in the UK. I was so wrong! I can't speak for Calgary as I'm in BC but here there are a lot of 'parent participation' programs you can subscribe to through the local rec centre which run for a set number of weeks (usually 6-8) and you pay quite a bit for them.

I found it really hard to get used to at first and thankfully (through another Brit I met at the dog park) I have now found a toddler group run out of a church which is very similar to the UK ones. It's free and they provide coffee etc and it's very much a place for the mums to get together and have a chat whilst the kids play. The other groups I've been to are very much focused on the children, you have to shadow your children and be involved in what they're doing, whereas in the UK I found the groups a great place to chat to other mums, whilst keeping half an eye on the kids at the same time obviously.

Anyway, just my experience, others may have found things different.

One thing that is different is pre-school, you have to pay and 3 year olds usually go 2 half days a week, increasing to 3 half days when they're four. I'll be paying $185 a month in September for my 4 year old and that's quite reasonable compared to a lot of places.

HTH

V

Thank you for your info, very informative. Maybe it is something we could look at starting up if there is a need in certain areas. As you say in the UK they are very popular.
I will have a read through wiki

Thank you