Project P.L.A.Y. School: Reggio Emilia, Philadelphia Style

This is the first in what hopefully will be a *series of family reviews of preschools, schools, and child care centers serving children in the Northwest.  If you would like to submit a post about why your family loves your child’s center, school, or preschool, please follow the email link below.  Project P.L.A.Y. School is located in Elkins Park... just a few blocks off of Cheltenham Ave.  Kathy Goldenberg and Karen Chayot are both the owners and teachers of this wonderful multi-age program.  

Project P.L.A.Y. starts at age 2 and 1/2 (diapers ok), and goes through age five or six.  The children are grouped together into one class (maximum per day is 14 children, but class size is usually around 12 or less).  The preschool operates from 9am through 3pm Monday through Friday, from September through May, but options exist for part day (noon dismissal or after lunch dismissal), part time (2-4 days/week), and summer camp.  Lunch is included in the tuition for options after 12pm.  An after school program is available if needed through Watoto, with coverage until 6pm.  This makes Project P.L.A.Y. accessible to families with many different scheduling needs.  

By far, project P.L.A.Y.’s most extraordinary ingredients are Kathy and Karen.  They are genuinely warm, caring, curious, and exceedingly loving and patient with young children.  They build nurturing relationships with the children and also with their families.  Our whole family adores them!  Inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, community, collaboration, and creativity form the building blocks of their program.  

Children truly lead in this program... my four year old came in excited one day to finally fit into his older brother’s Michael Jordan jersey... only to realize that there was no basketball hoop at school.  Kathy and Karen suggested he make one, and he spent much of the morning, with their support, constructing his own hoop AND ball!  And last week, he had the idea of hosting a “bird-watching party”, so that morning was spent making homemade binoculars for the celebration.  Photos and video documentation of the children’s work is frequently shared with families.  Kathy and Karen masterfully follow children’s interests and offer the gentlest of guidance.  

But if you’re looking for primary colored bins filled with plastic toys, you won’t find them at Project P.L.A.Y.  The school is located in the upper classrooms of St. John’s church, but the space has been recreated with natural items, inviting textiles, genuine art materials, and found objects.  The school has the use of 4 different rooms... one is used as a Studio, one a Living Room, one is a Theatre, and the last room is the Lunch Room.  The hallway gets a great deal of use too... for everything from flying turtles (see side picture) to puppy races.  This allows lots of space for activity, exploration, and small group work, and it creates a natural and homelike environment.  The outdoor space is small, but offers both grassy and hard top surfaces and is used so creatively... the children thrive in outdoor exploration too.  The current group of children is a vibrant, curious, energetic and racially diverse class who are clearly engaged and joyful in their play.  

Project P.L.A.Y.

http://www.projectplayschool.com/

1224 Melrose Avenue

Elkins Park, PA 19027-3018

 215-740-5751 or 215-479-6235

* If you would like to write a post about why your family loves your child’s center, school, or preschool, please email jenbradley4@mac.com