Goldenleaf Play School

Goldenleaf Play School is over in Ramakrishna Nagar, tucked away in one of the quieter streets of Madinaguda. It’s basically a converted house, which I think makes it feel a bit more like a home than a formal school building. We have some colorful foam mats on the floor and a few small slides in the front yard for the little ones. The kids arrive early, usually looking a bit sleepy in their parents' arms, but they wake up pretty fast once they see the toys and their friends. I spend most of my day cleaning up plastic blocks, wiping sticky faces, or helping someone tie their shoelaces. We don’t have a very big staff, just a few of us who live right here in the neighborhood. It’s a lot of hard work looking after toddlers all day. They’re always getting into something they shouldn't. We try to keep a steady routine with snacks and nap time, but it rarely goes exactly to plan. Madinaguda has grown so much in the last few years with all the new buildings, but our little corner remains pretty calm and safe. The parents are mostly young couples working in IT who live in the tall apartments nearby. They drop the kids off on their way to work. We have a small metal gate that we keep locked once everyone is inside for the morning. In the afternoons, you can hear us singing rhymes from the street. It’s a simple place.