Playhood helps unite and reconnect the most important things in a family’s life. An award winning micro Montessori nursery school sat alongside a calm coworking space and a friendly community of parents.
We provided the space, knowledge and solidarity to enable working parents and their toddlers to thrive. We edged our members towards a new definition of work-life harmony and the freedom it unlocks.
In 2025, we closed our doors in London as we began an exciting new chapter on the south coast.
After five years of incredible demand, we’re excited to offer tailored support packages for anyone interested in starting their own family-focused business. We’d love to explore this opportunity with you and share the learning gathered from our network of partners.
Housed in our beautiful garden studio, Playhood’s outstanding nursery teachers welcomed eight children aged 2-4 years old, each day. From our individualised care and freeflow garden to our exploratory cuisine, everything was child optimised.
We broaden the scope of the Montessori pedagogy by integrating elements of Forest School, Reggio Emilia and modern parenting discourse.
Our children enjoyed a varied weekly routine: from garden yoga, drumming, and tending the vegetable patch, to visiting local museums and parent-led craft sessions. Our highly-trained team has passion for and expertise in creative play, emotional regulation and healthy lifestyles.
Next door (and out of earshot) within a Crouch End townhouse, our light and aerating plant-filled workspace provided all the amenities of a premium co-working office space.
With generous desks, ergonomic seating, terrace for sun or shade and all the tech, great coffee and healthy snacks parents need to thrive. Work and wellbeing went hand-in-hand at Playhood.
To save our busy members’ time, we provided a chef-prepared seasonal lunch (enjoyed with our teaching team) and weekly personal training sessions.
Our membership (combined with our alumni) provided a unique extended family and work team - a knowledgeable, friendly and professional network right on your doorstep.
The efficiencies went far beyond a reduction in commute times, spanning the sharing of everything from podcast recommendations and children’s bikes, to professional memberships and holiday homes.
Underpinned by a sense of solidarity and a commitment to the ‘give and take’ mentality, essential to a thriving community, our members made firm friendships, amongst which playdates, nights out and weekends away regularly feature on the calendar.
Awarded for Best UK Setting, Social Impact, Partnership with Parents
“A sustainable, collective, and inclusive initiative that epitomises the optimum partnership between school and home.”
– Collaborative Montessori Accreditation Report.
“Playhood created a magical place for children to grow and explore… incomparable to any other nursery and as an experienced childcare professional I cannot recommend it enough.”
– Staff member.
“The Playhood team is passionate about supporting parents and parents are closely involved in their children's learning”
– OFSTED Report.
“Thanks to its unique set-up, staff at Playhood are able to extend their relationships with families over and beyond what is expected by an Early Years setting, establishing both strong professional and personal connections.”
— Collaborative Montessori Accreditation Report.
“Playhood is extremely special. It has changed my son’s life so much, but also my life. Through Playhood I have found the support, help, resources, stimulation, and community that I needed to empower me as a parent”.
— A, parent member.
“It’s been eye-opening to get to be so involved in [our daughter’s] education, the Montessori method and work with the team on our big life stage moments”.
- H, parent member.
“This community is so valuable to us and Playhood has been the best parenting and work decision we’ve made”.
— S, parent member.
“The Playhood model is so exciting, I’ve been in awe of the team breaking new ground: creating a supportive community the parents actively participate in.”
- Marie Henry, Early Years Standards Consultant
“Genuine parent partnership is crucial in Early Years because consulting them about children’s early experiences helps practitioners plan for effective learning at the setting, and in turn helps them support parents . Playhood provides responsive solutions, pushing the boundaries, and we are keen to engage in ongoing learning from the model, of which we think there is much potential.”
- Melanie Widnall Head of Early Years, Principal Advisor, Haringey Council
“Playhood takes a sensitive, informed and caring approach to working with whole families. Our role will be to connect practitioners to disseminate the Playhood team's knowledge for the benefit of the sector as a whole.”
- Barbara Isaacs, President, Montessori Europe.
