Lucie Masson, founder of Peek-A-Boo, explains the value of childcare in today’s society

Lucie Masson, Founder of Peek-A-Boo. Photo: Supplied

Lucie Masson is the owner and director of Peek-A-Boo. It is a childcare nursery designed for children aged 1-4. After hours, the centre is open for children aged up to 7.

Lucie, where did the idea for Peek-A-Boo form?

I have had a long-held yearning for a chance to work with young children. I saw a huge gap in the daycare and nursery sector in Barcelona. Absolutely, people are constantly moving to Barcelona with their young children and many parents, especially expatriates want their children to be bilingual, and they also require flexibility. Many do not have access to the public childcare system, which is subsidised and also has stringent requirements for access, including the spoken language being only Catalan.

This inspired me to start an international nursery that caters to these needs, especially for international parents and those Spanish parents looking for an international, friendly and multilingual environment.

What does Peek-A-Boo do differently compared to other childcare centres?

At Peek-A-Boo, we seek to nurture the young children’s language skills because the ability to understand multiple languages improves an individual’s communication and augments their career prospects. Being exposed to different languages and cultures early in life will prepare them for an increasingly diverse world.

In Barcelona, most kids start primary school at the age of three. Since this age is not obligatory, a majority end up starting at the age of six. Furthermore, most nursery schools take care of children starting from the age of three. However, at Peek-A-Boo, we cater for children starting from one-year-olds. This means that by enrolling your child at Peek-A-Boo international nursery playschool, you are not helping them start early, but also helping them acquire the most imperative skills at a young age.

Our native English and Spanish-speaking teachers are highly qualified and our work focuses on emotional security and facilitate child autonomy at a young age, which establishes a strong foundation for your child’s early growth and development. Our program is structured and provides a routine to the children that they find comforting.

We have a very low child to teacher ratio of 6 to 8 children per caregiver. This is different to many other centres.

We also have an indoor play park, which is very useful for the child to fully explore his physical connections and use the boundless energy they have!

Do you provide any additional services on top of your childcare services?

Our center is dedicated to childcare during the day, however in the evenings and on weekends we open it up to others as an indoor playground and for birthday celebrations.

In your opinion, what are the most important things a young child needs to thrive in daycare?

Our native English and Spanish-speaking teachers focus on emotional security and facilitate child autonomy at a young age, which establishes a strong foundation for the child’s early growth and development.

Our parents have entrusted us with the responsibility of developing their kids physically, emotionally, socially, and academically. We pay diligent attention to the quality of our staff. Our caregivers have secured accreditations in fields relevant to early childhood education. Apart from the accreditations, we must confirm that our staff has working experience as child caregivers.

We encourage frequent communication between our caregivers and the children’s parents. Essentially, parents love being updated about their kids’ progress, and their participation is vital in our work towards helping the child to develop into a confident and happy one.

Why do you think it is so important that children learn to express their identity at a young age?

Peek-A-Boo provides a comprehensive childcare program. We regularly gather information regarding the children’s emotional, social, cognitive, and physical development. This information informs our interaction with the children’s parents, as well as our teaching activities, curricular, and strategies to enable each kid to learn and develop in the best way possible.

Are there certain things that parents and guardians can do to help their children enjoy time away from home?

Parents of children generally need to trust that we are professionals an have a clear development plan for their children. While the children are in our care they are learning , and our trained caregivers are using the best systems available including Montessori, Pickler and others. Generally, the first few weeks can be difficult but within a few weeks after the children have begun at the Kindergarten the children will settle in.

They should not be alarmed with small bumps and hurts and also should communicate any doubts they have with the caregivers so that these are laid to rest or addressed as the case may be.

How do you think the diversity of your childcare centre helps the children who attend?

Peek-A-Boo subjects your child to an international environment that helps them learn and develop more efficiently while eliminating mother tongue-related negative impacts. This exposure also encourages the use of multiple languages, cultural, sporting, and extra-curricular activities, which open your child fully to the world, a priceless asset for their growth and development.

Recently, the need for the ability to understand multiple languages has increased steadily. Furthermore, binational families are on the rise, and people are frequently interacting with individuals from other nationalities and cultures who speak different languages. Basically, the ability to understand multiple languages gives the children a competitive advantage in the.

The very early age is the best time for the child to learn new languages. We established Peek-A-Boo international nursery school help those parents seeking to enrol their children in a bilingual childcare in Barcelona to learn both Spanish and English. Besides these languages, we can also speak to children in French and Catalan.

Thank you Lucie for sharing your thoughts with us.
You can follow up with Lucie Masson at: http://peekaboo-center.com/en/

 

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