Google Kids Play School

Down here in Patia, right on the lane off Nandankanan Road, things get moving pretty early. We are Google Kids Play School, though we don’t have anything to do with the big internet company, it’s just the name we’ve got. The walls inside have some bright paint on them, mostly hand-painted characters that the kids like looking at while they eat their snacks. It’s a small space, really, but it works for what we need. The morning air in Bhubaneshwar is usually okay before the traffic really picks up on the main road. We spend a lot of time just watching the little ones try to figure out how to share toys or stay in a straight line when we walk across the room. There is a lot of crying in the beginning of the term, mostly from the new ones who aren't used to being away from home, but it gets better after a few weeks. We don’t have a massive playground or anything like that, just some mats and a few plastic slides. The staff here are mostly local people who live nearby and know the families who bring their kids. We keep it simple because that’s what works for small children. We make sure they get their lunch and a bit of a nap if they need it before their parents come back in the afternoon. It’s just a normal day-to-day routine for us and we just try to keep everyone happy.