Play and Learn Café: Children are at the heart of what they do
Play and Learn Café is a London based early years play establishment that firmly believes in giving children a strong foundation from which to grow, especially in their first three to five years.
Gail Johnson OBE, and Paula O’Connor, co-directors of Play and Learn Café, believe that “these years are especially vital to how the child develops their language and cognitive abilities, and can affect their emotional and physical well-being”.
With this in mind, Gail and Paula feel that one of the best ways to do this is to support and educate parents and caretakers, so that they can help provide the best start in life for their children.
“Just as a tree needs strong roots to flourish, so does a child,” says Gail. “We aim to put children at the heart of all we do and to support parents and caregivers to give them the best start possible.”
With over 30 years of experience in social care and education,18 of them spent in Early Years, Gail has worked across diverse communities of multiple faiths, cultures and languages.
She is joined by Paula O’Connor, who has worked as a children's centre teacher working with parents and has taught in the early years foundation stage in both mainstream and special educational needs schools. Currently, Paula is studying for an MA in Early Childhood Education with the University of Sheffield, and she is passionate about both preserving childhood, as well as books for children.
Together they form a team passionate about childhood education and how that can springboard children to a better future.
At Play and Learn Café, visitors can look forward to a whole family experience as they provide sessions that allow for quality educational interaction and enriching play time between children and their parents. These include play sessions that utilise the outdoor space as an interactive classroom or having themed play sessions revolving around bringing a story to life. Play and Learn Café also provide themed messy play parties for little ones under three.
There are further sessions for parents and practitioners to help them better understand what they can do to support their children and give them the best foundations possible. These workshops include topics such as why children do the same thing over and over again (Schema play patterns) and how to deal with it, as well as how to prepare children for school and understanding their needs in greater detail.
ENDS
To find out more contact Gail Johnson info@playandlearncafe.co.uk or call 07475 975724
You can also visit https://www.playandlearncafe.co.uk/