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Volunteer with Children in Costa Rica

Live in central America and prepare children for school by teaching important early childhood development skills

Destination

Costa Rica

Age

17+ y/o

Minimum Stay

2 weeks

Start Date

Anytime

Accommodation

Homestay

What’s Included

24/7 Support

Round-the-clock support on the ground and 24/7 back up from our global teams.

Accommodation & Amenities

Clean, safe, and welcoming accommodation. A home away from home with comfortable amenities.

Activities, Training & Equipment

All programme activities and equipment, including training and workshops from experienced professionals.

Certification

Certified record of service hours, workshops, and activities for your CV.

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Starting at £1,675 for 2 weeks

Flexible 0% Interest payments

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Trip Overview

Help children learn and grow

Support teachers and children in kindergartens and care centres, creating fun educational activities and contributing to their development.

Assist global communities

Assist with daily tasks, renovate learning environments to improve stimulation, and help children reach their goals for growth.

Work with local professionals

Work alongside experienced teachers and caregivers, gaining insights into Costa Rican childcare practices and contributing to their efforts.

Explore the city of flowers

Discover the historic city of Heredia amidst lush coffee plantations and extinct volcanoes, with easy access to stunning national parks and beaches.

Embrace Costa Rican culture

Live with a welcoming host family, enjoying traditional Costa Rican cuisine and immersing yourself in the ‘Pura Vida’ lifestyle.

What you need to know

Overview

If you have loads of energy and enjoy the antics of little ones, Childcare in Costa Rica is perfect for you. You’ll support our early childhood development goals, which will give you practical childcare experience. This is especially useful if you’re planning on working professionally with children in the future.

If you have no experience in childcare, no problem. You’ll be supporting the work of local teachers and caregivers. Projects Abroad staff members will also be close at hand to help you. Throughout your stay, our staff will host regular workshops to help you. You’ll also have access to our database filled with educational resources like games and arts and crafts.

This project runs all year round, so you can choose when you would like to join. We recommend staying as long as you can so you can make a bigger impact on the project.

A Day in the Life

Your day will start with a traditional Costa Rican breakfast, enjoyed with your local host family. After this, you’ll catch a bus to the placement where you’ll be working. On your first day, our staff will accompany you on your work commute. They’ll ensure you’re comfortable and know your way around.

A typical day will run from about 7 or 8 am to 5 pm, coinciding with kindergarten and daycare centre hours.

The aim of each day is to contribute to the development of young children, which will help them succeed in the school system. You’ll do this through:

Reading and role-play activities that teach basic English
Counting games that teach basic addition and subtraction
Sports that improve kids’ balance and other fundamental movement skills

Arts, crafts, or music lessons that enhance creativity and imaginative thinking

Evenings and weekends are your free time to relax and explore with new friends. You can easily reach the impressive Poás and Irazú volcanoes on a day trip from Heredia. Elsewhere, numerous popular tourist destinations, such as Arenal Volcano and Monteverde Cloud Forest, are only a few hours’ bus ride away.

You’ll also never be too far from the coast in Costa Rica. Spoilt for choice by the number of idyllic beaches, you’ll have plenty of opportunity for water-based activities like surfing, swimming, snorkelling, or scuba diving. The laid-back life of Costa Rica is infectious, and you’ll find it hard to leave!

Aims & Impact

The aim of this project is to improve early childhood development in disadvantaged communities in and around Heredia. We do this by helping local teachers and caregivers offer young children a well-rounded educational experience.

In Costa Rica, kindergartens and care centres are often overcrowded. This means local teachers and caregivers struggle to divide their attention equally. Because of this, certain children are not able to get the extra support they need.

We’re working to change this with the help of volunteers like you. To guide our work, we’ve identified five sustainable, long-term goals that you’ll work towards:

Promote early childhood development
Increase literacy
Increase numeracy
Raise awareness about healthy living, the environment, and family planning
Improve the quality of life for those living with disabilities by working as a Childcare volunteer in Costa Rica.

Help us achieve these long-term goals by joining us as a Childcare volunteer in Ghana.

Activities

Your primary role will be to provide additional support to the local teachers and caregivers at kindergartens and care centres.

In Costa Rica, you will:

Focus on basic education
Plan fun activities that teach the children basic development skills
Assist with important day-to-day practical tasks to ensure the centres run smoothly

Increase literacy and numeracy

Reading, writing, and counting are essential skills. You’ll help children learn these skills, so they’re better equipped to cope with the demands of the first year when they start school. You’ll focus on those who are struggling by teaching literacy and numeracy to small groups.

Contribute to early childhood development

Fun activities that teach children basic skills are a fundamental aspect of a child’s development. By making your lessons entertaining, you’ll keep the children engaged in what they’re learning.

You’ll help the teachers and caregivers organise:

Physical activities that encourage teamwork and the development of fundamental movement skills (like catching, throwing, and balance)
Music lessons that encourage creativity
Arts and crafts that teach the children about colours and shapes, and how to use their imagination

Assist with day-to-day care centre tasks

You’ll often be asked to assist the local staff with day-to-day duties such as serving food, washing up, and cleaning. This is essential to the daily running of the care centres.

Map & Location

Thought to be one of the safest countries in Latin America, Costa Rica is a pioneer of sustainable tourism with a gorgeous coastline, incredible active volcanoes, and up-close wildlife encounters. Here, “Pura Vida” is more than just a saying — it’s a way of life.

More than one-quarter of Costa Rica is protected national parks or reserves and about half of it is covered in rainforest. It is also one of only a handful of countries with no army! It’s the perfect place for adventurers and nature lovers alike.

Heredia

Heredia, located just 20 minutes north of the capital San Jose, is known as the “City of Flowers.” This charming city of fewer than 20,000 residents has a relaxed atmosphere with beautiful parks and gardens, and enjoys a cool, spring-like climate year-round.

Wander through the historic streets lined with colourful colonial buildings or head further out to visit nearby coffee plantations, national parks, and volcanoes. It’s the perfect place for exploring the natural beauty of Costa Rica!

Food & Accommodation

You’ll stay with a caring, local, and vetted host family in Heredia who will make sure you have everything you need for an excellent experience. You’ll get a comfortable bed, three meals a day, fresh drinking water, and daily transport to your placement handled by our staff.

Your host family’s home will be clean, safe, and secure — the perfect base for your Costa Rican expedition. Develop your Spanish by speaking with them every day, live the local culture, and experience a true home away from home.

Enjoy excellent home-cooked food and find out why Costa Rica is the happiest country in the Americas. Whether you go it alone, with friends and family, or stay with other Projects Abroad participants — you’ll feel part of the family in no time.

Free Time and Leisure

With more than 25% of its land protected in national parks, Costa Rica is a nature lover’s paradise. It has everything from volcanoes to tropical rainforests, and magnificent waterfalls to beautiful sandy beaches. This tiny country is also renowned for its biodiversity and boasts an array of wildlife.

Our projects are based in Heredia, a laid-back city just 11km north of the capital, San José. Known as the City of Flowers, you’ll be surrounded by idyllic gardens.

You’re never far from the coast in Costa Rica. Spoilt for choice by the number of pristine beaches, you’ll have plenty of opportunities for water-based activities like surfing, swimming, or scuba diving.

There will likely be other volunteers in Costa Rica with you. So you can choose to explore on your own or as a group.

Your Arrival Made Easy

When volunteering in Costa Rica, you will be met at the airport by a Projects Abroad staff member. You can find more detailed information on flights, arrival airports, orientation, and visas, on our Costa Rica Arrival Procedures page.