Having found that traditional crèche-style care did not suit her first child, Meg Faure developed a system that is now used across South Africa. She told Emily Moore why parents in the Island might like Play Sense
AS anyone who has spent even just a couple of hours looking after a toddler can testify, the task can be relentless.
And, while many people will treasure those moments spent with little ones, they will also admit to feeling a sense of tired relief when that child either falls asleep or spends time under the supervision of another person.
For many parents, that respite comes when their child starts nursery and yet, as the Jersey-based founder and chief executive of one independent playschool discovered, nurseries do not suit all children.
‘When my first child was 18 months old, I took him to nursery for the first time,’ recalled Meg Faure.
‘He hated it. Every time I dropped him off, he cried, and when I picked him again, he was still crying. I quickly developed a deep sense that that crèche-style environment was not ideal for him or for several other little ones.’
Indeed, so deep was Meg’s conviction that the South-African-born mother, who was living in Cape Town at the time, decided to develop an alternative form of ‘fun but educational childcare’.
‘At the beginning, I got together with four other like-minded families and they dropped their children at my house and we employed a childminder who looked after that small group,’ she explained. ‘By working together in this way, the economies of scale worked and the mothers were able to return to work, something which is becoming increasingly difficult for a number of parents around the world and in Jersey.
‘Not only is childcare expensive but it is also difficult to obtain. I know women who would like to return to the workplace but can’t because there are no nursery places available for their children and, despite all the talk about equality, it is a global phenomenon that, when it comes to childcare, the buck still usually stops with the mum.’
Passionate though she is about helping mothers back into work, Meg’s desire to set up Play Sense was centred just as strongly around ‘children’s need for education and a nurturing relationship before they start school’.
‘That relationship piece is critically important,’ she said. ‘I wanted to create something that not only cared for the child but which also provided those foundations which are so important for all future relationships.’
Play Sense, Meg says, was built around three key factors.
‘The first is nurturing relationships. The jump from being at home with mum to starting school is massive, so the small teacher-to-children ratio which Play Sense offers provides an invaluable stepping stone,’ she said.
‘The second key factor is care and ensuring that your child is getting the best start in life while also giving them the opportunity to start developing social skills with other children, and the third pillar is education.
‘A lot of people don’t realise how many foundations for education are laid in those formative years and a good stimulation programme should include both language and maths concepts.
‘Through Play Sense, you have access to a digital portal full of activity ideas based around different themes such as the sea, town or farm. For each theme, children are encouraged to take on different roles, which really helps to develop their vocabulary without them even realising that they are learning.’
Having developed this concept informally during her own children’s young years, Meg launched her business in 2017, when the first Play Sense school opened in Cape Town.
There are now 47 schools running across South Africa, all based in the homes of a parent or teacher and, having proved her concept on that continent, she is keen for Islanders to join the programme and establish their own Play Sense schools.
‘During lockdown we started our first round of funding, which enabled us to build an online platform, broken down into three pieces, which any teacher, childminder or parent anywhere in the world can access,’ Meg explained.
That platform not only provides the training required to deliver the programme but it also features each activity and the business-support technology – such as billing systems and marketing strategies – to help newly qualified teachers to launch their Play Sense careers.
As well as having developed this play-based educational programme for children aged between 17 months and four years, Meg, who is an occupational therapist, has written a range of parenting books and developed an app designed to support new parents.
‘Although I didn’t formalise Play Sense until 2017, my focus for the past 25 years has been on early childhood and helping parents to navigate the minefield presented by early parenting,’ she said.
‘I really love children and I have a deep conviction that if you don’t touch that perinatal and early infancy period of life, you lose that human being for ever. Child development should be one of the most important agendas in the world because a little bit of investment at that age has massive implications, not just for that child’s education and employment opportunities but also for the influence they will have on the next generation.
‘Education decreases the chance of poverty, and poverty is one of the biggest factors which can drive a myriad of negative outcomes for children.’
While children’s interests are at the heart of Meg’s business, she realises that, to achieve the best outcome for the child, parents also need support.
‘The app contains information around preventative health, sleep, nutrition, vaccinations, development and stimulation,’ she said. ‘It is an all-encompassing app which guides parents through those first years of their children’s lives. We are also embedding a very carefully curated chatbot, so that people can ask questions if they can’t find the information they are looking for.
‘In generations gone by, a lot of this information would have come from their parents or grandparents but that cycle of life has been interrupted by the advent of nuclear families and the growing number of people who live in different countries from the rest of their family.
‘That triggered a rise in people turning to “Dr Google” or social media for advice, neither of which are credible sources of content. That is why we have designed the app to provide very specific and age-appropriate information that parents can access quickly.’
With a team of 14, split across Jersey and South Africa, and 50 Play Sense teachers, Meg said that she was looking forward to building the network both in Jersey and further afield.
‘This really supports female empowerment,’ she said. ‘If you are a mum at home with your child and you have a friend down the road in a similar situation, you can take on the franchise, which means that not only do you become economically enabled but your friend can then return to work as well.
‘This enhances your quality of life and also helps you to support your little one to give them the best possible start in life.’
