An opportunity for national organisations to support the Playday campaign.

If your organisation is passionate about play, recognises the importance of play in children and young people’s lives, supports every child’s right to play, and would like to show support for Playday, we invite you to become a Playday Champion!

By becoming a Playday Champion you will join other national organisations in strengthening our call for all children and young people to have the time, space, and freedom to play throughout their childhood. 

Our commitment

We will include your organisation in our list of Playday Champions displayed on this page. This is an opportunity for national organisations to show their commitment to the Playday campaign and promote their organisation’s work through a brief description and website link.

Your commitment

We ask that your organisation is committed to the child’s right to play, and help promote our Playday campaign.

Examples of promotion include organising an event, sharing a website post, social media post, newsletter article or by promoting through the media.

Next step

National organisations working within the UK can register interest in becoming a Playday Champion by contacting the play organisation in their country and we will be in touch to confirm your information.

Playday Champions

The Family Support NI website is an online directory of Family Support services to help families access the support they need.

Choose from the list of categories or use the keyword search and filter results by postcode area. Results can be translated into a range of languages.

The website includes the public list of registered Childcare Providers in Northern Ireland and provides useful information for families including available financial assistance with childcare costs for working parents.

Search results can be filtered by postcode area, vacancies, experience of special needs, school pick-up etc. to provide parents looking for childcare with useful information to meet their needs.

Fields in Trust

Fields in Trust champions and supports our parks and green spaces by protecting them for people to enjoy, forever.

Fields in Trust is an independent charity with almost 100 years of experience protecting parks, green spaces, and recreational play areas. Working with landowners, community groups, and policymakers, they champion the value of these spaces to achieve better protection for their future at both the local and national levels.  

Dundee Contemporary Arts

Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) is an internationally renowned centre for contemporary art and registered charity that enables audiences, artists and participants to see, experience and create. With two beautiful large-scale gallery spaces, two thriving cinema screens, a busy print studio, an award-winning learning programme, and a packed programme of events, workshops, classes, and activities aimed at all ages and abilities, DCA is a vibrant cultural hub open to all, located in the heart of the city.

Scrap Antics

ScrapAntics is a social enterprise with four core impacts of community, art, recycling and education. They are passionate about play and create a variety of playful and creative opportunities using recycled materials.

ScrapAntics offers a range of play sessions, events, workshops and creative community projects as well as supporting a number of volunteers. They have now diverted over 100 tonnes of waste back into the community as resources for creative and play-based projects.

Care Inspectorate

The Care Inspectorate is a scrutiny body which supports improvement. Our vision is that everyone experiences safe, high-quality care that meets their needs, rights and choices. Childcare environments should positively support children to access play and learning opportunities that benefit their development, health, wellbeing and happiness. One of the Health and Social Care Standards says ‘As a child, my social and physical skills, confidence, self-esteem and creativity are developed through a balance of organised and freely chosen extended play, including using open ended and natural materials’.

IPA Scotland

International Play Association (IPA) Scotland is a small and vibrant membership charity, registered in Scotland, working to protect, preserve and promote the child’s right to play as a fundamental human right. IPA Scotland’s work, values and principles are underpinned by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and in particular article 31. As longstanding branch of the IPA World organisation, IPA Scotland works with other national branches to provide an international forum for exchange and action across disciplines and across sectors.

Parenting Across Scotland

Parenting across Scotland is a network of charities which offer support to children and families in Scotland.

We work together with our members, partners and stakeholders to focus on parenting issues and to help realise our vision – a Scotland where all parents and families are valued and supported to give children the best possible start in life.

YouthLink Scotland

Youth Link Scotland is the national agency for youth work and the collective voice of the sector.

We champion and advocate for the youth work sector so that all young people can access high-quality youth work. Our membership of voluntary and statutory youth work organisations and intermediaries, including every local authority, spans all of Scotland, and changes lives for the better every day.

Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA) is the only organisation dedicated to supporting childminders in Scotland. Our aim is to promote childminding as a quality childcare service. We do this in part by helping SCMA childminders make a difference to the wellbeing and development of Scotland’s children. Our Vision: “Quality childminding… building confident children within a family childcare experience.” To find out more click here.

Learning through Landscapes (LtL) is the UK’s leading outdoor learning and play charity. We help children and young people connect with nature, be more active, engage better with their learning, develop social skills and have fun, while supporting educators with high-quality resources and projects to engage all ages. We focus on educational settings because they provide the outside space that children have most frequent access to. Despite the proven benefits of outdoor learning and play, eight out of ten teachers believe their school fails to make the most of these valuable spaces for children.

Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council are committed to giving children and young people the right to play through a variety of play opportunities. We recognise the importance of play and the benefit it has to cognitive, physical, social and emotional development as well as allowing children and young people to learn many other skills.  The Play Champion will promote these play opportunities and work to make sure these aims are brought to life in council policies.

Playing Out is a parent and resident led movement restoring children’s freedom to play out in the streets and spaces where they live, for their health, happiness and sense of belonging. Our vision is for this to be a normal, everyday part of life for children, as it once was. This means safer, less traffic-dominated streets and more connected communities. It means children having clear permission to play out in the spaces around their homes and no ‘No Ball Games’ signs. It means putting children first – ALL children, regardless of income, family circumstance, race, ethnicity, gender, ability – and protecting their right to play.

Gymboree Play & Music – Building Confident Learners, founded in 1976, is the global leader in early childhood development programmes with classes all over the world. Gymboree Play & Music classes utilise a unique and impressive combination of music, movement, props, imaginary play and custom-designed and patented apparatus, all to create a fun and magical world where children learn, thrive and most importantly have fun. Research has shown that young children learn best – and have the most fun – when parents and carers enter their world of play and imagination. At Gymboree Play & Music, every adult is an active participant and play partner, making time at Gymboree Play & Music all the more fun and enjoyable. 

At the KO-NEKT Skills & Play Centres, we offer flexible day and evening support for children and young people who have autism spectrum disorder and/or special educational needs aged 5-18yrs. Our Skills & Play Centres offer the children the opportunity to Play, Connect and Grow. We embrace the culture of ASD/SEN children by breaking down barriers and inequalities, enabling them to thrive and reach their full potential by becoming fully included in their local communities.

The Developmental Play Academy® is an online training platform created by Carly Budd, a registered Occupational Therapist who specialises in Paediatrics and Developmental Play for Babies and Children aged 0-5years. Her internationally accredited Diplomas and CPD courses aim to support professionals working in Early years, Child care, Paediatric therapy settings, as well as within the parent and baby/toddler group sector. It teaches in depth the benefits of play for developing physical skills, sensory processing skills, emotional health and social wellbeing, and the power of play for building the brains and nurturing the nervous systems of young children with lifelong impact.

Beith Community Development trust is a community development charity based in Beith, North Ayrshire. At Beith Trust our core ethos is the development and championing of local businesses, groups, and community members to become the best version of themselves. Our charity focuses on providing educational, recreational, social, and socioeconomic opportunities to our community members who may not have the means to access these opportunities outwith Beith Trust. We provide music lessons, entertainment events, children’s activities, educational opportunities, training opportunities and so much more to allow the people of Beith to flourish and grow.

Dyce Primary School Nursery (ELC) is a nursery for up to 60 children aged 3 to 5, who embrace the outdoors. We spend about 90÷ of our days outdoors where we love for the children to explore their imagination, risky play, being creative communication. This list of opportunities is endless. We have a brilliant community link with other nurseries in our area and enjoy exploring the community. The children wellbeing being at the heart of everything we do is very important.