Periwinkle is a Steiner pre-school that was founded in February
1986 by Susan Perrow, inspired by the first Steiner 'Vital Years'
Conference' in Australia held in Sydney late in 1985. Periwinkle's
first home was a rented church hall in Bangalow. Initially one group
of 14 children attended 2 days per week, but this soon grew to two
groups of 16 children, both for two days per week.
Four years later the pre-school moved for two years into the 'Moller Pavillion' in Bangalow showground. Meanwhile, on land donated by Byron Council in Sunrise Beach, and with much community support and fundraising, the Periwinkle staff and parent committee slowly worked on constructing and completing its permanent home. In February 1992 a very excited group of families, in a cavalcade of cars and trucks laden with furniture and equipment, drove down the highway from Bangalow to Sunrise Beach to help with the 'final' move. At the opening ceremony, as the Byron mayor planted a frangipani tree in the front garden, a chain of flowers was placed in a circle around the tree while the 300 people attending sang 'May the Circle be Unbroken'.
Today the Periwinkle 'circle' continues to grow in strength and beauty. From 2010, the preschool will offer a two year program for 3 to 5 year olds. Children who are 3 turning 4 will be offered a two day program and those who are 4 turning 5 will be offered a three day program. The benefits of this structure is that it allows for multi- ageing and consistency of groups, which helps the child feel more secure and improves the rhythm and routines which are an essential part of the daily program .