Though many may think of “learning” and “playing” as opposites of one another, it is actually the case that for children – especially those ages 0-5 – the two go hand-in-hand. This is knowledge that Constanza Malfanti shares with her community as leader of the Kaleidoscope Play & Learn (KPL) program at the Denise Louie Education Center.
In 2024, Constanza became the coordinator and facilitator of the KPL program. Formally a psychologist in Chile, she started volunteering and began working at community centers as an art teacher. During these courses, an employee from the Denise Louie Education Center invited her to interview for the position.
“What brought me here was [my] love [for] working with kids and knowing that it is the early years of life [that] are super important. It’s important to create a great bond between the caregivers and the children.”
KPL groups are designed for children aged 0-5 years old, are free to join, and are often held in a public space such as a library or community center. KPL groups follow an emergent curriculum developed by BrightSpark Early Learning Services, allowing learning experiences to be guided by adult and child interests, strengths, and developmental needs while supporting responsive play-based learning.
Through these programs, children explore through building, crafts, pretend play, songs, story time, and shared learning activities.
This emergent curriculum allows learning experiences to be guided by adult and child interests, strengths, and developmental needs while supporting responsive play-based learning.
In March of 2026 alone, Constanza and her team led 12 sessions across King County with an overall attendance of 346 caregivers and their children.
“The things we teach are how to use daily activities to learn colors, to count, and to tell stories, [as well as] social-emotional learning. Everyone cleans up at the same time. For instance, they need to put all the cars in one container, so that teach them categories.”
The KPL curriculum is based in community, placing emphasis on the importance of the bond between caregivers and children. Those who join are not only parents, but also family members, friends, and neighbors who care for children. It is not intended for caregivers to drop off a child, but rather for them to spend valuable time interacting with the children they care for.
The curriculum fosters inclusion, antiracism, and a strong foundation for lifelong learning. It includes time for caregivers to network, share, and support one another, while offering resources for best practices surrounding topics such as social-emotional development and child safety. Caregivers also learn best practices for growing their children’s kindergarten readiness skills such as knowing letters, numbers, and colors.
“Being a part of Kaleidoscope Play and Learn, the goal is to set [children] up for success in later life. It’s proven that when caretakers know what their children are supposed to learn, kids have a better outcome and more success when they go to kindergarten.”
As a facilitator, Constanza helps children and their caregivers learn through play. Denise Louie Education Center is just one of many community organizations that implements Kaleidoscope Play & Learn, and it is funded by the Seattle Public Library system.
BrightSpark supports facilitators in implementing the curriculum through lesson guides, activities, and materials that help support an emergent play-based approach to the groups. “[BrightSpark Early Learning Services has] a curriculum with information every month, and there’s a lot of sessions there, so we have to go there and plan and research with that information. They give us support in monthly meetings. You have to go through the KPL 101 training before becoming a facilitator. So, the support that they bring is amazing.”
Through coordinating and facilitating, Constanza has found a passion for creating a bond between caregivers and the children they care for. “To learn that I’m doing something for the children, I think that is the most rewarding. And maybe hugs.”
Watch our video featuring Constanza Malfanti below.