Barcelona Mum

 What is the philosophy of the Playhouse?
Child-centred mixture of free play and more structured activities. Based on elements of UK playgroup movement and Montessori (" A child's work is play"). We are not a Montessori school though, that is something quite different. Also influenced by Scandinavian model of early childhood ed. (v. free play based, lots of positive reinforcement, positive "discipline", working on emotions, etc.).

From what age until what age do you accept children?
18 months to 3 years. Then we have our after-school "English Through Play" clubs for 3-7 year olds.

What language is used in the main?
English is official language and about 80% of all we do is in English, we also have one Catalan teacher.

What is the teacher/child ratio in each class?
1:6 maximum, normally less.

Is there flexibility in hours for daycare?
Yes, drop off between 8.30-10am, pick up either at 1pm or 2pm. Children can come 1,2,3,4,or 5 mornings a week but they must be fixed days. We have no drop-in service (I don't agree with it for this age group).

What type of food is offered to children?
Lunch is all organic, freshly prepared, mainly market produce. Locally sourced and/or fair trade where possible. Mixture of animal and vegetable
protein sources, different cereals and grains, fresh veg. always with a raw vegetable starter (cucumber/avocado/tomato/carrot, etc). At 10am they eat fresh fruit.

Do you need to live in Gracia to send your child to the Playhouse?
No, people come from all over the city..

How does the Playhouse differ from other nurseries in Barcelona?
Based on child's needs rather than parents. All staff are university graduates with at least 2 years of experience with 1-3s (most have at least 5 yrs exp.). Parents are actively involved in educational process at all levels. We differ in almost all other ways, it is completely different from a normal
guardería (we are not a guardería).

Are parents allowed to come in to nursery classes if they like?
Yes, we actively encourage it

At what stage do you require parents to apply for a place for the following year?
They can apply all year round, then they go on the waiting list and we let them know when a place becomes available. Obviously there are more places available in September than at other times of the year.

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