Alphabet Playgroup
Trustees Report Year Ending April 2025
About Us
Alphabet Playgroup provides an integrated, safe and caring environment for play based learning to children, aged 2 years 10 months to compulsory school age, in Greenisland. Through play-based learning, we follow the early years curriculum and aim to equip our children with an abundance of emotional, social, physical and intellectual skills.
We strongly believe that the parents/carers and staff should regard each other as partners in the children's education and as such, we provide daily updates on group activities and have implemented a new system for individualised feedback, have regular social fundraisers, and extended opportunities outside of the playgroup hours with a book lending scheme.
We also welcome parents and carers to join our voluntary committee of trustees. This management committee meets regularly to ensure the group remains responsibly managed, true to its aims and objectives and offers support to the staff. We also coordinate fundraising and grant-seeking to replace dated equipment and invest in new resources to enhance the children's experience and environment.
We are inspected by Social Services and the Department of Education (last inspected February 2025, with no recommendations.
Income In 2024 - 2025
We had 45 on our register that benefited from our provision. This includes 26 preschool age children who attend five days a week and are funded by the Department of Education The parents of the playgroup children paid a fee of £7.50
per session for their child. Each family also pays an annual registration & insurance fee of £30. In the financial year 2024- 2025 we held several fundraising events, raising a total of £544
Expenditure
Our main expenditure is for five staff member’s wages (These are reviewed by the Management Committee annually) and rent payable to Mid & East Antrim Borough Council. We continually replenish our consumable equipment such as paint, glue, ingredients for play dough etc. and replace larger equipment when required. We have a wish list of new equipment and resources that we aim to acquire over the next few years. A small amount of cash is spent on the children for Christmas presents and our annual trip. We provide each child with milk, toast and a variety of fruit daily and party food on special occasions. We employ the services of an Independent Early Years Specialist, who supports and advises us, and a qualified accountant who prepares our Annual Accounts and calculates National Insurance contributions.
We received the following grants throughout the year
Fair Play Grant £6450
EA outdoor funding grant £2000
Policies
We adhere to our many Policies which include Child Protection, Pastoral Care, Complaints, Equal Opportunities, Confidentiality, Financial Control, Fundraising and Health & Safety. These are regularly reviewed and updated.
This report was approved by the Management Committee on 21st January 2026