My Place to Play - new dates

The Early Learning Initiative (ELI) invites you to attend a My Place to Play Baby and Toddler Briefing Session. These briefings are for services who are working with families in International Protection and emergency accommodation and could support organisations in their work with Ukrainian families.

My Place to Play is a programme that aims to enhance parent-child interactions and the physical, emotional, cognitive and language development for infants and toddlers living in international protection and emergency accommodation services. The programme is designed to be an interagency response to support families experiencing those living situations.

My Place to Play was originally a programme designed for parents and infants 0-12 months centred on a baby plat mat and age appropriate toys and resources to support baby development.  MPTP has been developed and enhanced more recently with the design of a Toddler Pack as a follow on from MPTP Baby Play Mat .  My Place to Play Toddler Play Bag  supports play for 1 - 3 year olds to promote language, communication, literacy, social and emotional development as well as fine and gross motor development. 

Combined briefing sessions are now being delivered for My Place to Play Baby Play Mat and the My Place to Play Toddler Play Bag.  These sessions are open to staff who offer direct services within International Protection Accommodation Services, those responding to families displaced from  Ukraine, Homeless services, as well as those who may want to know more about the MPTP Initiative. The Early Learning Initiative (ELI), National College of Ireland has been commissioned by Children and Young People's Services Committees (CYPSC) and Tusla  Prevention Partnership and Family Support (PPFS) to co-ordinate the delivery of My Place to Play nationwide. 

ELI invites you to participate in the MPTP briefing sessions if your organisation would benefit from information regarding supporting families with infants aged 0-12 months and toddlers aged 12-36 months, living in homelessness, international protection or other cramped housing conditions

In this 90-minute briefing session, you will hear about:

• The background and theoretical underpinnings of My Place to Play Baby and Toddler programmes.
• The benefits of the My Place to Play resources for infants, toddlers and their families.
• Tips and hints on how to engage families in the use of the resource.
• Question and answer session.

You can register by clicking on the Zoom registration links below to confirm your place in one of the briefing sessions.

If you have any questions about the My Place to Play project, please do not hesitate to contact the Early Learning Initiative by email: eli@ncirl.ie

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