1. Can you please tell us more about your business?
A. Play Sense is a home-based micro-playschool model that combines key elements to optimise toddler development. We provide early childhood care and education in small groups of up to 6 toddlers, in a home environment with a nurturing teacher who is certified to teach our play-based curriculum. Our program is developed by my fellow co-founder and Occupational Therapist, Lara Schoenfeld, and is designed to encourage a young child’s emotional and social skills.
We know that children between the ages of 2 and 4 years old learn only through play so our program offers little ones rich, play-based experiences to teach them about themselves and the world around them – this then becomes the foundation for all other learning and equips them with ‘super skills’ to give the best chance of lifelong success.
2. When, how and why did you start your business?
A. I have always believed that early childhood care and education should be home-based in a small group. In fact, I set up groups for my own children years before we formalized Play Sense. Large schools with costly infrastructure mean that classes must be big, and teachers paid poorly to sustain the conventional school business model. I wanted to disrupt this by offering a higher quality of education at the same fees as a typical school. Lara and I started planning and developing the Play Sense model in 2016. Our first school opened in 2017 in Bishopscourt Cape Town, and we have grown each year by dozens of home-based micro-playschools around the country.
3. What is your role in the business?
A. I am the co-founder and CEO. I set the strategy for the business in collaboration with our board of directors. I am also involved in the marketing and am the face of the brand.
4. Where did you study and what did you study?
A. I studied Occupational Therapy at UCT. This degree prepared me in two ways to build the businesses I have. Firstly, I learned about infant and toddler development and maternal mental health, this is my WHY – I want to make parenting easier and provide the best foundations for infants through the care they receive. Secondly, in OT we are taught to develop solutions for problems – to enhance the way a person (of any age) achieves optimal performance in whatever ‘occupation’ that gives them meaning (play is a toddler’s occupation, role of mother is an occupation for most women).
5. How did you finance your business?
A. Lara and I bootstrapped – for four years we took almost no salary. When we identified the need for a COO, we realized we needed funding. In April 2020 we secured seed funding.
6. Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists.
A. I wake at 5 am and exercise, meditate and plan my day. Most of every morning is meetings and I do try to have one meeting-free day per week.
7. How do you balance your home life and your work life?
A. I am very structured with my times. I close my laptop at 6 and try not to look at email until morning. It’s not always possible but having a relaxed evening and early night is how I maintain my energy levels to be productive all day. We have dinner as a family every night.
8. What drives you and inspires you?
A. I am driven to make life easier for moms – it really gives me meaning. I am driven to succeed and produce excellence in all I do. I do not like failing. I am inspired by people who innovate and think outside the box as well as the women and teachers who I work with, who give so much with such passion.
9. Where and when do you have your best ideas?
A. On flights and on holiday, after listening to podcasts or reading a good book. We need time to think, and good ideas only come when you are undisturbed and have headspace.
10. Where and how do you market/advertise your business for sales leads?
A. There are two main sources of leads for almost all we do – the first is my ‘Meg Faure’ community. I work hard to keep my moms invested and interested and to offer real value to them. This gives me direct access to their minds and thoughts. The second method of advertising is digital paid spend.
11. What is next for your business?
A. We have very big targets for 2021. We want to triple our number of groups and children we reach in SA. Thereafter we will be looking to expand globally. The micro-school offering has really taken off and so we are well-positioned to scale.
12. What advice would you give to female entrepreneurs hoping to start their own business?
A. It will be way, way harder, and more work than you think. You will have more time with your family if you take a corporate job, as weird as that sounds. BUT it is incredibly rewarding to see your idea take life. You do need to have boundaries – have time that is ring-fenced for family and you. And finally, if you do embark on the journey, find one or two amazing women to take along with you. My team are very close to my heart and I could not do it without them.
Short Bio
Meg is best known for co-authoring the international parenting bestsellers Baby Sense and Weaning Sense and founding the Baby Sense Company. Meg is an Occupational Therapist (OT) with a passion for the care and development of babies and young children. She has worked in various clinical settings including a pediatric rehab facility in New York, in private practice, and a school for children with special needs. As a journalist and author in the field of child psychology, parenting, and child development, she has written 8 parenting titles.
Meg is the founder of ISIT (Infant Sensory Integration Training) and has presented numerous courses to professionals on topics including: Infant Feeding Treatment; Self-regulation; Infant and Toddler Behaviour; Infant Sensory Integration Training Course; Management of infant sleep problems; Management of Fussy Feeders; Infant emotional and regulatory function and the treatment of related disorders; Treatment of Toddlers; Treatment of infant modulation problems; Dyspraxia; Sensory Integration theory courses; Integrating SI and NDT; Sensory Integration treatment courses and Neuro-Developmental Foundations of Handwriting.
In 2017 Meg and Lara founded Play Sense, an ECD program for 2 to 4-year-olds. Play Sense operates over 30 franchise schools in South Africa. During COVID, Play Sense pivoted to offer a digital home-school program for toddlers and preschoolers.
Play Sense
