It takes a village to raise a child.

In 2018 I had my son and swiftly realised parenthood was as beautiful, hilarious and fulfilling as confusing, lonely and overwhelming. Funnily enough, feelings I’d often associated with self-employment. I was underprepared and like many of us living hectic urban lives without family on the doorstep, relied on overburdened friends, unfiltered forums and a patchwork of childcare.
Frankly, not dropping the ball (/baby) was hard enough. And when you’re spread thin, it's too easy to overlook this crucial early phase. Years so important, they lay the foundations for all that is to come.
Yet our career demands mean we often place our children in the care of those too stretched to meet their needs, in environments ill-equipped to let them flourish, while rushed drop-offs and pick-ups allow little time to connect on a meaningful level.

The more I searched for the elusive village, the more I returned to the work of Dr Montessori. I’d always admired her teaching and the beautiful school environments she advocated, but increasingly her philosophy provided a vision of childhood I could get on board with. In this, I saw an opportunity to work hand in hand with highly skilled Educators to broaden the scope of most preschools who close at 3pm and create a new model for modern working families.

As working habits and behaviours change and we go beyond the traditional 9-5, Playhood provides a practical solution for eliminating the daily commute to create more family time. But more importantly, we’re designing a model that works better for child and parent alike.

Playhood is an experiment in what happens when a creative community comes together around a shared vision. Together we’ll evolve and adapt the model, reimagining and rebalancing our family lives.

One village at a time.