ABOUT

 

Our Aims:

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• To provide quality, affordable childcare for working parents and carers.

• To encourage and offer opportunities and resources for unstructured and freely chosen play (in line with “Play Work Principles”).

• To foster a supportive, nurturing environment, where children feel safe, secure, comfortable and able to make choices.

• To value and respect individuality and diversity and encourage children to be sensitive to the needs of others.

• To create an inclusive environment, accessible to all children.

• To operate an anti-discriminatory practice.

• To offer a balanced, stimulating programme of activities to include sport, art and craft, woodwork, dance, drama and cooking, as well as a variety of topic based fun.

• To develop a child-centred atmosphere where children are truly involved in every aspect of the play scheme. This includes planning and evaluating activities, choosing resources and play activities, creating rules, encouraging fair play and helping everyone to get along.

 

The Play Work principles

 

The way we run Zebras is driven in large part by the Play Work principles, and which provide our professional and ethical framework.

 

These principles are based on the recognition that childrens’ and young people’s capacity for positive development will be enhanced if they are given free access to the broadest range of environments and play opportunities.          

 

• All children and young people need to play. The impulse to play is innate. Play is a biological, psychological and social necessity, and is fundamental to the healthy development and well-being of individuals and communities.

• Play is a process that is freely chosen, personally directed and intrinsically motivated. That is, children and young people determine and control the content and intent of their play, by following their own instincts, ideas and interests, in their own way, for their own reasons.

• The prime focus and essence of playwork is to support and facilitate the play process ant this should inform the development of play policy, strategy, training and education.

• For playworkers, the play process takes precedence and playworkers act as advocates for play when engaging with adult-led agendas.

• The role of the playworker is to support all children and young people in the creation of a space in which they can play.

• The playworker’s response to children and young people playing is based on a sound, up-to-date knowledge of the play process, and reflective practice.

• Playworkers recognise their own impact on the play space as well as the impact of children and young people’s play on the playworker.

• Playworkers choose an intervention style that enables children and young people to extend their play. All playworker intervention must balance risk with the developmental benefit and wellbeing of children.