Drop-ins

Children’s Centre Drop-Ins are great places you can go with your baby or toddler. Drop-in sessions are for children under five and their parents/carers.

Come along and enjoy creative-play sessions, storytelling, and much more. They are usually free, however, if a fee is involved it is listed below. Most ask that you bring a piece of fruit with you that they serve to the children in the middle of the session for a healthy snack break.

We’ve put together a WEEKLY CALENDAR of drop-ins which is followed by a list of the various centres and contact details, including names of others that we haven’t included in the weekly calendar. Please double-check to ensure activities are still on.

MONDAY

9.15-11.30am – Stay and Play Drop-in for 0-5s, Maida Vale Children’s Centre.
Parents are offered ‘time to talk’ about questions relating to child development and behaviour.
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9.15-11.30am – Stay and Play Drop-in for 0-5s, Paddington Green Children’s Centre
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9.30-11.30am – Stay and Play Drop-in for 0-5s, Queens Park Children’s Centre
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9.30-11.30am – Essendine Drop-in for 0-5s, ECM Building
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9.30-11.15am – Rumpus Drop-in for 0-5s, Mary Paterson Nursery School
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1.00-3.00pm – Stay and Play Drop-in for 0-5s, Queens Park Children’s Centre
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2.00-3.00pm – Rhyme Time Babies, Mary Paterson Nursery School
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2.30-3.15pm – Music Group, Paddington Green Primary School, Music Room (run by Paddington Green Children’s Centre)

TUESDAY

9.15-11.30am – Stay and Play Drop-in for 0-5s, Paddington Green Children’s Centre.
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9.30-11.30am – Essendine Drop-in for 0-5s, ECM Building
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9.30-11.30am – Stay and Play Drop-in for 0-5s, Queens Park Children’s Centre
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9.30-11.15am – Rumpus Drop-in for 0-5s, Mary Paterson Nursery School
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9.30-11.30am – Under 2s Drop-in, Portman Early Childhood Centre
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10.30-11.30am – Little Lions, St Mark’s Church
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1.00-3.00pm – Stay and Play Drop-in for 0-5s, Queens Park Children’s Centre
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1.00-4.00pm – Under 5s Drop-in, Portman Early Childhood Centre
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2.00-4.00pm – Under 1′s Baby Drop-in, Mary Paterson Nursery School

WEDNESDAY

9.15-11.30am – Stay and Play Drop-in for 0-5s, Maida Vale Children’s Centre
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9.15-11.30am – Triple P Focus Group, Positive Parenting Support, Paddington Green Children’s Centre – by appointment only, please contact Ella.
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9.30-11.30am – Essendine Drop-in for 0-5s, ECM Building
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9.30am-3.00pm – Rumpus Drop-in for 0-5s, Mary Paterson Nursery School – Open all day – You are welcome to stay for lunch, cooking with your little one – £1 donation
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9.45-11.45am – Childminders Drop-in for 0-5s, Queens Park Children’s Centre
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1.00-3.00pm – Stay and Play Drop-in for 0-5s, Queens Park Children’s Centre
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2.00-5.00pm – Family Life Support, Paddington Green Children’s Centre – by appointment only, please contact Lorna/Ella.

THURSDAY

9.15-11.30am – Triple P Focus Group, Positive Parenting Support, Maida Vale Children’s Centre – by appointment only, please contact Paulette.
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9.30-11.30am – Stay and Play Drop-in for 0-5s, Queens Park Children’s Centre
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10.00-11.30am – Essendine Drop-in for 0-5s, ECM Building (usually they do an exploratory walk in the park)
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10am-noon – All Nations Drop-in, Voluntary run at the Beethoven Centre, 174 Third Avenue, W10 4JL, runs year round except for the month of August and Christmas time. Free play and a messy activity, fruit time and singing to end the session. Drop-in was set up so parents looking for childminders could meet one face-to-face over a cuppa and a vacancy list is always available. £2 per child. Contact Pepe for more details 07960083553.
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1.00-3.00pm – Stay and Play Drop-in for 0-5s, Queens Park Children’s Centre
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1.30-2.30pm – Story and Music Time for 2-5 year olds, Maida Vale Children’s Centre
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2.00-5.00pm – Family Life Support, Maida Vale Children’s Centre – by appointment only, please contact Lorna Hunte.
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3.00-4.15pm – Stay and Play Drop-in for 0-5s, Paddington Green Children’s Centre

FRIDAY

9.15-11.30am – Stay and Play Drop-in for 0-5s, Maida Vale Children’s Centre
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9.30-11.30am – Essendine Drop-in for 0-5s, ECM Building
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9.30-11.30am – Stay and Play Drop-in for 0-5s, Queens Park Children’s Centre
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9.30-11.15am – Rumpus Drop-in for 0-5s, Mary Paterson Nursery School
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9.30-11.30am – Under 5s Drop-in, Portman Early Childhood Centre
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10.00am-12noon – Play Mates Under 5s Drop-in, Marylands Family Centre
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1.00-4.00pm – Under 2s Drop-in, Portman Early Childhood Centre
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3.15-4.15pm – After-school Sibling Club, Paddington Green Children’s Centre. Come and play in the Children’s Centre Garden.

DATE WITH DAD

Date with Dad events are the first Saturday of every month at the Carlton Hill Nursery and the third Saturday of every month at Queens Park Children’s Centre. To get on the mailing list email John Black at jblack@westminster.gov.uk.

DROP-IN CENTRES, ADDRESSES & CONTACT DETAILS (for the activities listed above):

Maida Vale Children’s Centre
St Augustine’s C.E. Primary School
Kilburn Park Road
NW6 5XA
020 7641 5775

Every Child Matters (ECM) Building
Essendine Primary School
Essendine Road
W9 2LR
0207 286 0083
Donations encouraged
Read our blog post

Paddington Green Children’s Centre
Paddington Green Primary School
Park Place Villas
W2 1SP (just next to Little Venice Canal)
020 7641 5675 / 020 7641 5679

Queens Park Children’s Centre
88 Bravington Road
W9 3AL
020 7641 5838

Mary Paterson Nursery School
13 Riverton Close (off Ashmore Road) W9 3DF
020 7641 5804
(ticketed entry – there will be 10 tickets at the front door. Please take one ticket per child. If there are no more tickets left, then the drop-in is full.)

Little Lions
St Marks Church
Abercorn Place
NW8 8LA
020 7328 4373

Carlton Hill Nursery
86 Carlton Hill
NW8 0ER
020 7624 3814

Portman Early Childhood Centre
Church Street Children’s Centre
12-18 Salisbury Street (Off Church Street)
NW8 8DE

Marylands Family Centre
Play Mates
36-44 Marylands Road
W9 2DX
Contact: Sandra
020 7641 3592

OTHER CENTRES NOT LISTED IN WEEKLY CALENDAR:

There is tons to do in this area and we cannot keep up-to-date on everything, but here are some more centres that we know about with their details. If we have heard when the drop-ins are, we’ve listed them, but keep in mind, this information has not been recently double-checked. Please contact them to find out more if they look like they’d work better for you or you just want to give them a go. Let us know what you think of them.

Under 5s Drop In at the Vestry Pre-School
1-3pm (£1.50 a session)

Dorothy Gardner Nursery Centre
293 Shirland Road W9 3JY
020 8969 5835

Rainbow Family Centre
11 Bravington Road W9
0208 968 2690
Mon-Friday 1-3pm

Our Lady of Lourdes Drop-in group
54 Lodge Rd NW8 8LA
020 7286 6357
Sister Brigid Collins
A drop-in session for those of you with children under 3. Provides a
safe and secure environment for children to develop their learning
along with their social and emotional skills. It provides you with the
opportunity to meet other parents/carers.

St Luke’s Drop-in
Fernhead Road W9
Tuesday 10.00am-12.00noon
020 8968 7968
Sue Turner

Moberly Sports & Education Centre
The Quadrant
Kilburn Lane
W10 4AH
020 7641 4807
(bus 6 & 187 stop out the front or C permit parking in street)
A soft play room for little kids. Charge is £2.40
Read our blog post