Playground Project Continues and Plans for Future

Since it launched in Autumn 2021, the Playground Project has been helping to develop the creative abilities of babies and their families with workshops in many Libraries and Children’s Centres across Kent.

With investment from Artswork and Kent County Council’s pandemic recovery Reconnect programme, Playground seeks to inspire disadvantaged young children and their families by immersing them and those who care for them in creative activity that is deeply engaging, transformative and of the highest quality.

Artists have the opportunity to develop their practice and achieve further gains in confidence. Library staff are also crucial to the success of the Playground project and work alongside the artists and mentors developing their own creative practice as appropriate, as well as growing confidence and greater understanding of effective engagement with children and their families.

As the sessions with artists continued, University of Kent researchers found out that, the bond between the artists and babies strengthened and created a more organic learning space for everyone involved; in a relatively short space of time.

The families’ feedback was very valuable and showing:

“The session is very different and unexpected, I have to say. My baby and I just loved it. It was just to be in a different world really- a world where mother and baby could find each other.”

Find out more about the project in this Case Study

Playground is a partnership of Artswork, Kent County Council and University of Kent. This current phase of the Playground Project runs until June 2022. For future plans, the Playground project also wants to develop another program alongside this one, that engages two to five-year-olds and children with complex needs for the upcoming year. 

More information about our partnership with Playground

Image Credit: Playground Team

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Early Years International Outreach Kent Libraries Mentoring Playground