The SPPA's annual survey revealed that its membership had fallen in all areas of Scotland, except for West Lothian where there was an increase, and in Clackmannanshire and Falkirk, where the number of members remained the same.
SPPA services and resources manager Mary Wales said the decline was 'natural' and reflected the changes that have taken place in the sector, with the growth of varied forms of childcare provision arising from a succession of government initiatives.
She said the SPPA was marketing its services to the pre-threes groups because research had shown that most of them were not networked into a national umbrella organisation. The groups tended to meet locally and were therefore quite isolated.
'We can offer them specially designed insurance packages, which are an important factor in today's climate, as well as guidelines on health and safety,' she said. The introduction of new regulations on care and a new system for criminal records checks also meant that the SPPA's advisory role had been enhanced.
Mary Wales said a number of projects involving pre-threes groups were under way in Sure Start areas and, following a grant from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, in North and South Lanarkshire where the SPPA has appointed a development worker.
With the focus turning towards mother and toddler groups, the SPPA is offering training workshops to staff and parents on the value of different types of activity and the central role of play in child development. It has also revamped its website (www.sppa.org.uk), which carries information on membership, training and insurance.
'We are very excited about the challenges in the sector. A lot of the materials that we developed among playgroups can be adapted to suit pre-three groups,' she said.
The focus on pre-threes will be the centrepiece of the SPPA's annual conference at the City Chambers in Edinburgh this Friday (4 October), which will be addressed by Val Cox, the Scottish Executive's head of early years education and childcare. Other speakers include SPPA chief executive Ian McLaughlan and developmental psychologist Helen Marwick, who will report on recent research into children aged nought to three.
Ms Wales said SPPA membership among private all-day groups had also grown, while the number of places within SPPA groups commissioned by local authorities continued to rise.
However, the extent of the SPPA's overall falling membership is reflected in figures for areas with the largest number of groups. Aberdeenshire, with 145 registered members last year, has fallen to 138, and Fife, which had more than 100 a year ago, is down to 95 in 2002.
The SPPA says there are more than 45,000 children in its member groups in Scotland, with 52 per cent under three and 48 per cent aged three and over.