Austin Play Garden

Austin Play Garden is a daycare in Austin, TX, providing play-based preschool and early childhood education for young children. The school accepts children from 6 weeks to 5 years of age and offers full and part time schedules of 2 days, 3 days, or 5 days a week. Standard school hours run from 8:15 am to 2:30 pm, with optional aftercare available from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm. Sisters and long-time educators Claire Smith and Hannah Harper founded Austin Play Garden in 2014. The idea for the school grew out of their experiences in child care, public schools, and working with families in general. Their goal is to create a school that brings together high quality educators with an environment that supports development on par with standards held for any other stage in a student's life. Curriculum planning draws most prominently on the Reggio Emilia philosophy, the Project Approach, and the work of Vygotsky, alongside other early childhood philosophies and theorists. The school's mission centers on building nurturing relationships as the foundation for positive learning experiences, fostering independence, and creating an environment where students feel safe and become contributing members of the school family. The school sits on Airport Boulevard, just off East 51st Street, a short walk from Ridgetop Elementary School and The Griffin School. Interstate 35 and the I 35 Frontage Road are also nearby. Austin Play Garden holds a rating of 4.60 from the families who have reviewed it. Founded by two educators with deep roots in child care and public school work, the school brings a play-based, relationship-driven approach to early childhood education in central Austin.