Community Impact
Introducing Little Scholars Playground Community CIC
Little Scholars Playground has always been about making learning exciting, hands-on and accessible for children. As our work has grown, so has our ambition to make a difference beyond our products, parties and paid programmes. That’s why Natalie established Little Scholars Playground Community CIC, a separate Community Interest Company dedicated to expanding our work within schools and communities.
The CIC allows Natalie to develop community-focused projects, work with partners and funders and provide free and subsidised STEM, educational, enrichment, yoga and wellbeing opportunities for children and young people who may otherwise have fewer opportunities to access them.
It shares the same belief at the heart of Little Scholars Playground: every child deserves opportunities to explore, discover and thrive.
Two organisations, with one shared purpose.
Little Scholars Playground Ltd
Our commercial business, providing educational products, STEM clubs and workshops, science parties and other learning experiences for children and families.
Little Scholars Playground Community CIC
Natalie’s community-focused organisation, created to increase access to educational, enrichment and wellbeing opportunities through community programmes, partnerships and funded or subsidised provision.
Together, they allow us to grow in two complementary ways, creating brilliant experiences for families while extending our impact to children and communities who may benefit from additional support and opportunities.
Our community work started before the CIC
Giving back has long been part of Little Scholars Playground. Through Little Scholars Playground Ltd, we’ve previously supported fundraising initiatives and community causes, using our platform and resources to contribute to projects that matter to children and families.
As Little Scholars Playground grew, we wanted to take that commitment further and create something specifically focused on community impact.
That led to Natalie’s creation of Little Scholars Playground Community CIC, a separate, community-focused organisation that allows us to build on the work we’ve already started and develop more structured, accessible and impactful programmes for children and young people.
The CIC marks the next chapter of Natalie’s community work, enabling her to reach more children through STEM/STEAM, education, enrichment and wellbeing opportunities.
Stemettes panelist
Here at Little Scholars Playground, one of our missions is to serve and give back to our young people. Particularly in the area of STEAM (Science Technology Engineering, Art and Maths). I was invited to be on a panel with Stemettes, along with 6 other female role models in STEAM. We spoke about our careers in STEAM (a very male dominated industry), the challenges we face, how we overcome them and answered lots of the young girls questions.
Books 2 Africa
Books2Africa is an international Non-Governmental Organisation based in the United Kingdom (UK registered charity 1152599) whose mission is to promote a culture of ‘readcycling’ and to improve the quality of education in Africa, through the collection, processing, shipping and distribution of quality books, computers, and educational materials.
From the start of our business it’s always been our goal to be in a position to donate our books to schools in the UK and Africa. We recently donated a box of books to Africa via Books 2 Africa. We plan on donating books as often as possible through Books 2 Africa.
100 books donated for Black History Month
Did you know only 34% of primary schools have a designated library budget? Thanks to everyone who has bought from us, we have been able to print 100 extra copies of our new STEM Leaders: Black inventors and innovators who changed the world book. We donated them to primary schools for Black History Month 2022.
We believe every school should have a library full of books that inspire children.
JA Worldwide – St Kitts and Nevis
Here at Little Scholars Playground one of our missions is to serve and give back to our young people. We recently volunteered with JA Worldwide as part of their Junior Achievement Business Builder Bootcamp, for students in St Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean. We delivered part of the STEM marketing programme for the students who are preparing to set up their own business.
JA Worldwide is one of the world’s largest and most-impactful youth programmes who have recently been nominated for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize. They deliver hands on, learning in work readiness, financial health, entrepreneurship, STEM and economics worldwide.
Young people are truly the future, so we feel that it is very important to provide them with the skills and tools to be successful in life, but not only that to help them build their own communities.