Porirua’s first Plunket Super Saturday will bring free children’s health checks and family activities to Cannons Creek School on Saturday 14 November.
The Porirua Plunket Clinic is organising the day with support from Porirua City Council. The event runs from 9am to 2pm at the school on Warspite Avenue, with Well Child Tamariki Ora checks and B4 School Checks available alongside games and kai.
Families can have car seats checked and learn about water safety and emergency kits. Face painting, bubbles, prizes and play activities with Tawa Toy Library are also planned. The event is free, including its activities.
The health appointments offer parents and caregivers a chance to talk with a nurse about their child’s growth and development. Plunket encourages families to book a B4 School Check soon after a child’s fourth birthday, rather than leaving it until school is about to start.
That timing allows more opportunity to arrange support, such as help with language development, before a child begins school. The check is the final Well Child Tamariki Ora assessment and covers areas including language, growth, behaviour, social and emotional development, and oral health.
A B4 School Check has several parts. The nurse assessment is completed at the appointment, while hearing and vision screening is often done at preschool. A strengths and difficulties questionnaire is also returned by the child’s early childhood centre. Families should not assume every part of the check will happen at the Saturday event.
Drop-in appointments will be available, but booking ahead can reduce the wait for a Well Child check. The school is the venue for Super Saturday, rather than the Plunket clinic’s usual premises.
Families can book a Well Child appointment by calling 0800 184 803 or emailing [email protected]. Super Saturday runs from 9am to 2pm on 14 November at Cannons Creek School, Warspite Avenue.