Dove Cottage was established in the late 70’s as a satellite campus for the younger children of a pre-school known as Dove Cottage which was located in the nearby area. Initially called “Little Doves”, the school took over the full name of Dove Cottage when the larger school closed its doors in 1990 and the playschool we know now, continued to operate from the premises as a neighbourhood playschool for children aged 2 – 4.

Over the decades, the school has only had three owners which is a testament to the love and dedication that those involved with Dove have felt. It has now owned by Cheryl Smith since 2016. Cheryl has been part of the Dove Cottage staff since 2002 when she began working as a teacher at the school with the former owner, Sheila Bradnick. Sheila retired in early 2016 after being involved with Dove Cottage for more than 30 years. Previously Cheryl operated another playschool for 5 years.

We feel strongly about providing a loving and nurturing environment for young children that fulfills their need for stimulation and play. We want children to feel safe in a ‘home-from- home’ space. We are located on the premises of the East Claremont Congregational church but are not affiliated to the church and accept children of all faiths.

Our main focus with the children is play, where children learn through engaging with their environment and where they can acquire skills to help them adjust successfully to bigger schooling environments, once they move on from us. We follow a daily routine and themes throughout the year to guide the learning process.

As a private playschool, we are open from 8am to 12 noon daily and our school terms are closely aligned with Western Cape Education Department terms, although not exactly the same. We do not open in the school holidays and aftercare is not available.