Volunteer in a Community Nursery School

The Center is located in Barracas, about 40-minute far from the center of Buenos Aires and accessible by bus. On your first day, the volunteer's tutor will take you to the project so you learn how to travel by bus, present you to the main coordinator and the teachers so you are confident to go by yourself the following days.

All volunteer projects start on Monday. You should, however, plan to arrive in Buenos Aires on a Friday as you have a Welcome Package. This is an excellent introduction to the city of Buenos Aires and a great way to start your volunteer project. It includes a welcome drink, free Wi-Fi, a bike tour and a walking tour of either Recoleta, Palermo or San Telmo.

The first day the volunteer will meet with the coordinator who will accompany you to the project in order to show you how to get there on your first day. Once you get to the neighborhood, you will meet with the project coordinators. You can discuss your schedule with them, and this also is the perfect time to ask questions about your tasks. Once you commit to the working hours, you have to respect the schedule you have chosen and never miss work. You should always work the minimum number of hours required and in some cases the NGO also recommends a maximum number of hours. Please remember you will also use time travelling to and from your project.

For this project volunteers will leave at 08:00 and travel by public transport to the kindergarten, arriving at around 10:00. With around 50 children to care for in slightly difficult surroundings, the kindergarten is always in need of a helping hand!

Here is what an average day would look like:
At 08:00. the children arrive and the first thing that they do is eat breakfast all together at the tables in the main room.
After eating breakfast, the children go into their separate rooms to play. They play and do different activities until 10 am when they have snack time.
Snack time also takes place in the main room and all the children come together again, sitting at the tables and eating crisps, fruit, biscuits, crackers, or other small snack foods and drinking juice.
After snack time the children play more and often do craft activities like painting or coloring.
At around quarter to 12:00, all the children have lunch, again in the main room at the tables, the lunch is usually pasta or potatoes, meat or empanadas.
After lunch, the majority of the children take a nap. The children leave at various different times after lunch.

Here is a list of the different tasks available to volunteers:
Most often the kindergarten needs help in the rooms with the children helping to play. The volunteers spend time playing with the children, with toys or with craft activities and other games, and help keep the children entertained and safe. The activities vary depending on age and new activities introduced by the volunteers are very welcome!

Help to prepare lunch for the children - the lunch is prepared in the kindergarten by the kindergarten staff and each day they cook and prepare enough to give each child a good healthy meal; Helping to serve lunch - preparing the plates and giving them out to the children; Helping to clear up after meals - children can be very messy eaters! After the children have eaten the volunteer can help to clear the plates and clean the tables and floor.

Like most educational programs, the Center remains closed during summer break in Argentina that is from mid-December to March. There is also a 2-week winter break in July.

Volunteering at this kindergarten will give volunteers an opportunity to practice their Spanish, either in conversation with staff for those speaking a higher level of Spanish, or learning basic vocabulary with the children. Volunteers will quickly learn colors, animals, numbers, and dates, as well as useful phrases for helping and organizing children. You will also gain valuable experience caring for young children, keeping them safe and entertained with certain activities from observing how the ladies at the kindergarten care for the children. Volunteering at this kindergarten also offers the volunteer a chance to reflect on the differences compared to kindergartens at home, and experience the incredible work of the ladies in these areas.

You have the option to add either 4-or 6-hours of Spanish lessons per week. Lessons are one-on-one or in pairs, and each lesson is 2 hours long.

Minimum age of 18
Basic Spanish
Volunteer application form that is approved by the volunteer organization
Police Clearance Certificate

Arrival transfer
Welcome Package
Accommodation during the volunteering weeks
Breakfast
Free internet and Wi-Fi access
City bike tour
Walking tour (Recoleta or Palermo or San Telmo) or a nightclub ticket
Briefing and 24/7 assistance from the volunteering organization
Donation to the project
4- or 6-hours of Spanish lessons per week, either one-on-one or in pairs (if chosen)

Daily transportation to/from the project (you can use public transportation)

Our projects range from 1 week up to approx. 30 weeks. Projects have a specified minimum stay, then it's up to you how long you can commit. In our experience the longer you stay the more you will gain, as your understanding of the project broadens and you take on more responsibilities.