Playschool · Alexandra Road
Baby and toddler classes. Stay with your child, or drop off.
Weekday classes for babies and toddlers from 6 months to 3 years. You can stay in the room for the whole session. In Mini Explorers and Preschool Transition, you can move to drop-off once your child trusts the teachers. Our teachers lead the play either way.
- 1 to 5 mornings a week
- Stay with your child, or drop off
- Monthly or ad hoc, no lock-in
No cost, no obligationNothing is due at your visit
4.9★ on Google, across all Agora programmes456 Alexandra Road, beside ARC
Playschool at a glance
- Ages and stage
- Babies and toddlers from 6 months to 3 years: from sitting up and reaching, to first steps, to first sentences
- When it runs
- Weekdays, one to five mornings a week
- Who stays
- You, a grandparent or a helper your child knows. Mini Explorers and Preschool Transition can move to drop-off.
- Languages
- Mandarin School (Le Kai Hua 乐开花), fully in Mandarin, twice a week
- Snack and care
- A healthy snack, eaten together; feeding and nappies on your child's routine
- Where
- 456 Alexandra Road, beside ARC
Everything in the basket has more than one use. A scarf can be a scarf, pretend weather or a hiding place.
What a session looks like
You take your shoes off and sit down.
On the first morning you're in the room with your child for the whole session. In Play & Bloom and Mandarin School, you always stay. In Mini Explorers and Preschool Transition, you start stepping out once your child is ready.
- Come in together. Settle in side by side. The other grown-ups are parents, grandparents and helpers who came in with a child.
- Move & Sing. Songs, claps and simple instruments, with room to crawl, climb and dance. You sing too.
- Small Hands. Puzzles, threading, stacking and first marks with crayons and clay.
- Touch & Explore. Paint, water, dough and textured materials to dip, squeeze and explore.
- Snack together. Everyone sits down at the table for a healthy snack: an early go at sharing, taking turns and eating alongside other children.
Two of our own teachers lead every session.
Drop-off
The goodbye can wait.
Drop-off depends on trust. Your child sees the same teachers and the same routine every session, so that trust builds. Once your child is comfortable, you step out for a little longer each time. Mini Explorers and Preschool Transition lead to full drop-off. In Play & Bloom and Mandarin School, you stay.
- Stay.You're beside your child for the whole session.
- Step out.Once your child trusts the teachers, you leave the room for a few minutes, then longer.
- Drop off.In Mini Explorers and Preschool Transition, you drop off and collect. You hear how it went at pickup or by message.
- Playgroup, in Preschool.Ready for a full drop-off day? Playgroup is the first class in our Preschool, in the same centre.
Sessions inside Playschool
Play & Bloom
Our youngest. Secure attachment and lots of sensory play. You stay for the whole session.
Mini Explorers
Toddlers. First steps, naming things and pretend play. Drop-off once your child is settled.
Mandarin School
Le Kai Hua 乐开花: songs, a picture book and hands-on play, fully in Mandarin, twice a week. No Mandarin needed at home. You stay for the whole session.
Preschool Transition
A bridge into Preschool routines, with drop-off once your child is settled.
Before your first morning
The worries parents bring in with them.
"What if my child cries all morning?"
Then you stay and it's your shoulder they cry into. Nobody rushes you out. Drop-off only starts once your child trusts the teachers.
"Will my baby just be one of many?"
No. Our teachers are trained to observe each child, how they play and how they behave, so they get to know your child, not just the group.
"My little one only wants me."
That's why you can stay. Most of a session is play, side by side. Your child decides when to let go of your hand, once they trust the teacher.
"Is it safe?"
A Child First Aider is on site whenever we're open. Only the people you've named can collect your child. On the mornings you stay, you're right there.
"In the early years, settling is the whole job. We never rush a goodbye and never pretend a hard morning was an easy one."
Claire Michael · Head of Early Years
Additional needs
We can take children with mild to moderate additional needs. Tell us what to expect and Claire will give you a yes or a no before you travel.
Reviews
Playschool parents, in their own words
"We appreciated the flexibility of the programme as other schools are usually unaccompanied or did not give us the option to enter the premises."
"… As an early childhood teacher myself, I feel confident and happy to take our daughter there to play and learn!"
"As soon as we walk in my son gets the biggest smile and high-fives the whole staff!"
Fees
The fees come in writing.
The fee depends on how many mornings you pick and whether you choose monthly or ad hoc. We go through it at your discovery visit and send it in writing within 24 hours, with this term's session times. You decide afterwards, in your own time.
- Nothing is due at your visit.
- No joining fee.
Get the fees on WhatsApp
Tell us your child's age and the mornings you're thinking of. We'll send this term's fee, what it covers and the session times within 24 hours.
Questions
Questions parents ask about Playschool
What age can my child start Playschool?
Playschool is for babies and toddlers from 6 months to 3 years. Within that range, what matters more than age is whether your child will settle near other children with you close by. You know that better than we do. Bring your child to the visit and we'll work it out together.
Do I stay with my child the whole time?
In Play & Bloom and Mandarin School, yes: you stay for the whole session. In Mini Explorers and Preschool Transition, you start in the room. Once your child trusts the teachers, you can move to drop-off a little at a time.
When can my child move to drop-off?
In Mini Explorers and Preschool Transition, once your child trusts the teachers. Coming back to the same teachers and routine, session after session, is what builds that trust. Then you step out for a few minutes, then longer, until you drop off. You hear how it went at pickup or by message. Staying every time is fine too.
Can a grandparent or helper come instead of me?
Yes. The grown-up who stays does not have to be a parent. A grandparent or a helper your child already knows works just as well.
How many mornings a week do we have to come?
One to five mornings a week, monthly or ad hoc, with no lock-in. Start with one and add more when you're both ready. We send this term's session times with the fees.
What do babies and toddlers do in a session?
Every session has music and movement, fine motor work and sensory play. Most of it is play, side by side. Everyone sits down together for a healthy snack, an early go at sharing and taking turns. Feeding and nappies follow your child's own routine.
How is Playschool different from Preschool?
Playschool is weekday morning classes where you stay with your child. In Mini Explorers and Preschool Transition, you can drop off once your child is settled. Preschool is a full drop-off day from 18 months to 6 years, 7.30am to 2pm. Its first class is called Playgroup. If your child is between 18 months and 3, choose Playschool for mornings and Preschool for a full day.
My child has additional needs. Can you take my child?
We can take children with mild to moderate additional needs. Tell us what to expect and we'll give you a yes or a no before you travel. Claire Michael, our Head of Early Years, is the person you'll speak to.
Discovery visit
Bring your little one to an ordinary morning.
It's free, with no obligation. We reply within 24 hours.
- 1Tell us your child's age.
- 2We WhatsApp you within 24 hours.
- 3You come in, join a session
and see how your child takes to the room.
Arrange your discovery visit
Tell us a little about your child. We'll WhatsApp you within 24 hours to find a time.
No cost, no obligationNothing is due at your visit