Playbase brings learning to you

Playbase is a charity teaching mums, dads, grandparents, carers and playworkers all about the development of young children and the value of play. In this guest blog, Sam Gardener tells us more about online courses available.

Playbase brings learning to you, where your life is happening now.

Do you live in a remote or rural area where you can’t access a training course locally, or at a convenient time? Perhaps you have plans to study in the future, but you need a first step course to build your confidence and bring your skills up to date?

At Playbase Training we have developed our introductory courses in Play and Child Development, and Professional Practice in the Early Years, for an online audience. Our popular Edinburgh-based community classes can now be accessed anywhere across Scotland and beyond!

Everyday life can be busy, especially with young children. It is not always easy to slow down and see the world through the eyes of a child. Our courses help you to consider – in small manageable chunks – just how much is happening for a child at play, why it is so valuable, and how you can best support a child’s learning.

Check out all the topics covered on our first course, ideal for parents and carers. Perhaps you already have some experience or are thinking about a career in childcare. Our accredited course takes you through the procedures and policies which will inform your work with children and help you take the next step.

We know that learning through play best supports a child’s development. We are equally committed to supporting adults to develop new skills in a way which meets their needs.

Our online courses will fit around your current circumstances and help you work towards future goals. Everyone entering further education, or the workplace, needs a grasp on basic digital skills. Without these, simple tasks can seem overwhelming and it’s easy to feel left behind. We have embedded some of these digital skills within our courses so that they become part of your learning experience.

Skills will be immediately transferable to many areas of your everyday life. Learning for Individuals Our courses are well-supported by online tutors and provide opportunities for peer support in discussion forums.

Our courses are a best fit for:

• Parents and carers with an interest in how their child develops and how play helps
• Those who want to work with young children, or who want to see if childcare is for them
• Those who want to learn basic digital skills and gain a SCQF Level 3 to progress to further study

Learning for Groups One of our courses can be completed in about eight weeks, studying two-three hours per week. The content is easily transferable to group discussion and there are practical tasks to complete.

Groups who could benefit from shared learning might include:

• A class of 16 year olds as part of the school curriculum
• An ante-natal group, supported by a community health worker
• A group attending a job club or employment service – pick up valuable digital skills and new ideas about play to support home life.

If you think your group or organisation could benefit from learning with us, please get in touch to see how you can integrate a training course into your existing set-up. We are an evolving organisation with a prerogative to respond to the expressed needs of the learners we engage with. We invite new audiences and we adapt to respond to your diverse experiences, needs and interests.

Like the sound of what we do? We would love to hear from you! Have a browse around the website www.playbase.org.uk. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter, email info@playbase.org.uk or call 0131 553 8873.