Millions of children from marginalised communities in India grow up without access to safe, joyful, and stimulating learning environments, deeply impacting their development and long-term life outcomes.

Founded in 2004 in Mumbai, The Opentree Foundation empowers marginalised children through play-based learning. Our Conscious Play® approach builds emotional resilience and life skills, supporting their journey toward becoming well-rounded, confident adults.

We currently work with 1,50,000 children, more than 500 schools and over 6000 teachers across 12 out of 36 districts in the state of Maharashtra, India.

Under our flagship project, Toybank, we implement Life Skills Play Programmes in under-resourced schools and communities that comprise:

  • Structured and scalable play curriculum (pre-K to Grade 8)
  • Skills-aligned play material kits
  • Trained Outreach Play Workers who facilitate engaging sessions
  • Teacher empowerment through Power of Play workshops and ongoing coaching

These programmes embed Conscious Play® into everyday learning, turning classrooms into joyful, inclusive spaces where every child thrives.

Over the years, we have seen our programmes transform learning environments in these schools, driving a 21% increase in children’s classroom participation, decision-making, and more than 50% increase in critical thinking and communication, demonstrating how play can be a powerful lever for equity, inclusion, and lifelong learning in under-resourced communities.

Looking ahead, our play-based intervention is a cornerstone of our five-year strategy to reach one million at-risk children by 2030, by also rapidly expanding our early-years focused, School Readiness Play Programme.

We will achieve this through multi-layered, systems-driven pathways: working with governments for systemic integration of play into schools, advocating for formal recognition of every child’s Right to Play, and forging partnerships with NGOs and training institutions to multiply impact.

We’re investing in technology to digitise resources and assessments for scale and efficiency, and prioritising evidence generation to inform policy and unlock funding. Already, several partner schools have independently embraced play practices—a testament to our model’s sustainability and replicability.

 

“Receiving the STAR endorsement from Montessori Global gives us immense courage and confidence to keep marching forward and pushing harder. At The Opentree Foundation, our vision has always been to make the world a better place by empowering children through Play. Over the years, we’ve worked across communities in India to create joyful, inclusive learning environments that allow children to express, explore, and thrive. This endorsement is not just a recognition of our efforts—it’s a powerful validation of the belief that Play has the potential to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems at multiple levels.”