One of my such programs is आईचे शेपूट (Aaiche Sheput) (initiated in 2008), conducted regularly for 12 years with Garware Balbhavan, Pune. Read More...
आईचे शेपूट (Aaiche Sheput) – The Marathi name आईचे शेपूट (literally: Mother’s tail) indicates the inseparable attachment of a child to its mother/parents or caring adults in early childhood.
आईचे शेपूट (Aaiche Sheput) is a Parent-Child Play Program for children aged 1.5 to 3 years, along with their parents. This Parent-Child Play Program is conceptualized, designed, initiated, and executed by me with the team at Garware Balbhavan, Pune.
पालकांसाठी आईचे शेपूट (A workshop for parents having children aged 0 to 6 years): I designed and conducted this workshop for parents, grandparents, caregivers, workers in daycares etc. It was organized by Garware Balbhavan, Pune in May 2024. This workshop was focused on orienting adult participants to the nature of play in early childhood (below 6 years), the importance of play, and the role of adults in facilitating a child’s play. Read More…
Based on more than 15 years of experience of the Parent-Child Play Program आईचे शेपूट, I observed and realized that parents often look for some guidance to find ways for positive habit-setting to face the challenges of today’s times. In addition to the Parent-Child Play Program, there was a need for a specific program devoted to parents for communicating the importance of their role in accompanying a child’s play in early childhood.
The workshop पालकांसाठी आईचे शेपूट included a demonstration of how easily available household material can be used in a safe, stimulating, and engaging way. This highlighted the potential of hands-on play activities.
I have worked as a resource person for 12 years in trainers’ training programs (कार्यकर्ता प्रशिक्षण – Karyakarta Prashikshan) conducted by Garware Balbhavan, Pune (under Director Shobha Bhagwat).
Chief Guest for Annual Social Gathering of Garware Balbhavan
As an undergraduate student of psychology, I started working with Jnana Prabodhini's Institute of Psychology (JPIP).
Under the guidance of internationally recognized psychologist Dr. Usha Khire, I was the lead member in introducing the Comprehensive Child Development Program.
Conducting such a program was quite an uncommon concept in Pune in the 1990s.
This ground-breaking summer program, based on the multifaceted nature of intelligence, aimed to foster holistic development in children.
This program is popularly known as बालविकास शिबिर (Balvikas Shibir).
Conducted by Jnana Prabodhini’s Institute of Psychology
Counselling gifted children and parents of the gifted is my passion. In addition to in-person counselling, online counselling opened an avenue for people spread across India and abroad to connect with me.
Families have found my sessions helpful in understanding their unique child, and how to nurture his/her extraordinary abilities.
Along with counselling, through my enrichment centre, I started mentoring parents to identify and nurture giftedness.
During this work, I highlighted the need of a support group for parents of children with high potential. With encouragement from psychologist Dr. Sujala Watve and JPIP, I conceptualized, designed and executed ‘Prajna-Maitra’: a self-help and support group for parents of children (aged 3 to 17 years) with high potential.
I led this program at JPIP for 6 years (2014-2020) as a concept designer, facilitator, and trainer. I got the opportunity to train, mentor, and build personnel for this support group, which included parent volunteers and students of JPIP’s postgraduate course in gifted education.
Reached nearly 100 families through this initiative.
I was associated with S.P.M. English School (pre-primary, primary, and secondary section) in Pune as a counsellor for 10 years (2010-2020). I have worked with students, parents, teachers, and school authorities.
I have been a consultant and trainer for the daycare centre ‘Aajol’ in Pune. I have designed and prepared a written instructional manual for developmental age-appropriate activities for this daycare centre.
Every month from October 2023 to July 2024, I designed and provided 25 sets of activity kits for the age group of 6 to 9 years for Aajol daycare. I conducted an online orientation session for parents and an in-person training session for teachers of nearly 25 branches of Aajol daycare centre about how to use these activity kits and the significance of play in child’s development. The activity kits are designed to stimulate various facets of intelligence through a variety of play material.
I am working as a consultant for a Mother-Child Play Program in the rural areas near Pune, namely हिरकणी (Hirkani). • The program is conducted by स्त्री शक्ती प्रबोधन – ग्रामीण, ज्ञान प्रबोधिनी (Mobilization of Women Power – Rural wing, Jnana Prabodhini, Pune), led by Suvarna Gokhale.
An initiative with this group is to create age-appropriate play material focusing on simplicity, variety, and reuse. I am facilitating and training the village women for assembling and preparing play-activity kits.
Since March 2024, I have been working with the pre-primary section at Jnana Prabodhini Navnagar Vidyalaya, Nigdi for establishing a new centre called JPNV’s Usha Laxman Kelkar Centre for Growing Together. I have been working as a mentor and trainer since the conception of this centre which focuses on training teachers to work as facilitators for conducting parent-child play workshops. Under this initiative I am currently training 17 pre-primary teachers. This is an extensive training program with 6 modules consisting of theory, practical, and internship sessions spread across the academic year 2024-2025.
The centre is funded by Padma Vibhushan Dr. Vijay Kelkar and the Kelkar family in memory of, and to honour, Late Mrs. Usha Laxman Kelkar, who was a pre-primary school teacher. She started a pre-primary school in Pune. Inspired by the educational practices developed by Madam Maria Montessori, Late Mrs. Usha Laxman Kelkar devoted her life to pre-primary education.
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