At Cotlands, we take courage in the knowledge that education is a great equaliser of society. Yet educational resources are not spread equally through our society.

That’s why in February, we appealed to you for donations to take Cotlands’ wonderful early learning programme to the youngest members of our poorest communities: babies and toddlers.

And thanks to the wonderful response from donors, we can take more young children under Cotlands’ umbrella each week, through sensory development and baby massage classes and birth- to two-year-old early learning playgroups (ELPs).

They attend these classes with their mothers and caregivers, who are so happy to discover that they can give their babies the same early learning opportunities as children from affluent families. It just costs their time and love – and a little bit of help from Cotlands donors like you!

At baby massage classes, caregivers learn techniques to sooth and relax their baby, and to promote muscle tone, spatial awareness, growth, self-awareness and non-verbal skills. Not only do sensory development classes help babies reach their developmental milestones, they also help them bond and communicate with each other. Caregivers are offered parenting education and counselling and learn how to make toys using everyday household items.

The high-impact birth- to two-year ELPs are held once a week. These two hour sessions are filled with toys, play and laughter – and children soon learn to love learning.

Sessions are held in a range of community venues, such as homes and church halls, which gives us great freedom of movement and ensures that children are not excluded because of where they live.

We’ve been running this “non-centre based” model since 2012 and it’s allowed us to take play- based early learning to thousands of vulnerable children.

We extend our sincere thanks to all our donors for bringing more children under the Cotlands’ umbrella. Thanks to you, more babies will bloom to their full potential.