Round Robin Playgroup Inc

The type of attachment that is formed through interactions between caregiver and child is the most crucial aspect of a child’s early learning and development. The quality of the infant-caregiver relationship has a long-term impact on the child's later social and emotional outcome, including their sense of self, development, and future relationships. ‘Caregiver & Me’ programs foster secure attachment through socialization opportunities which contribute to a positive mental state for caregivers. When caregivers thrive, children thrive. Furthermore, ‘Caregiver & Me’ programs create safe environments and provide new enrichment experiences that, when combined with a secure caregiver-child attachment, boosts a child’s curiosity, creativity, and eagerness to learn, and builds emotional, social, physical, and cognitive developmental skills that are integral for future healthy growth.

Given the vital benefits that ‘Caregiver & Me’ programs provide, they should be financially accessible to every Caregiver and Child. However, this is not the case in Miami. 21.1 percent of Miami's children live below the poverty line. Specifically, 63% of all Miami-Dade children ages 0-2 live in families below ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) or below the federal poverty line (See Table 1). Miami's 'Caregiver & Me' programs are priced as luxury services. An hour-long session can cost up to $60. This means thousands of low-medium income families forgo crucial, facilitated bonding experiences, negatively impacting both the child’s and Caregiver’s wellbeing.

Round Robin Playgroup's mission is to provide opportunities and resources that create equitable access to high-quality 'Caregiver & Me' Playgroups to support early childhood development and encourage secure relationships. Our 'Pay What You Can' donation-based model reduces financial barriers and enables our organization to redistribute funding to establish Playgroups in underserved communities throughout Miami-Dade. It allows all families to participate in and benefit from our Playgroup Model regardless of socioeconomic status.

Round Robin Playgroup creates a network of families dedicated to building meaningful bonds and enhancing our children's early years. Our model levels the ‘playing-field’ creating opportunities for all caregivers and children to build secure attachments and reap the numerous benefits that a social support network and enrichment activities can provide.