Children under the age of 2½ attend one session a week and always with their parent/caregiver. At 2½ they are able to attend two sessions a week; at 3, three sessions a week; at 4, four sessions a week. Any child over the age of 2½ must be attending at least two sessions a week.

Once a child is over 2½, they can start attending their second session each week without their parent staying - as long as their parent has completed the Course 2 Training and as long as the child is well settled on the session. Course 1 and 2 take a minimum of two terms to complete.

Because Playcentre is run as a co-operative, parents meet out of session to share experiences and information about the children, and to meet the business needs of an early childhood centre. Decisions are usually made by consensus, to ensure all members have a say in the running of the centre.

Each parent also takes on a job or responsibility soon after they join, whether that be looking after the equipment in an area of play or an administrative office. At the end of each term, there is a big clean-up which every family takes part and other weekend working bees are arranged to maintain the building and the grounds at least twice a year.