A typical day on your Childcare Volunteer Placement in Costa Rica will start at around 07:30 and end just after 16:30. However, you will only be teaching for around 3 – 6 hours per day, with opportunities to get involved in other activities. Also – you won’t be on your own! You will have the support of local staff to guide you as you work with these little cherubs!

Mandatory Orientation Day

On the Monday of your first day as a childcare volunteer, you will join our orientation day, to get accustomed to your local surroundings as well as local culture. Your programme will continue as usual from Tuesday onward throughout the rest of the week.

Orientation Day Schedule

• Introduction meeting, House rules, Setting Expectations, Health and Safety Advice and handling of documents.
• Costa Rican Do’s and Don’ts, Costa Rican Culture Lessons and Spanish Language Lessons.
• Tour around the compound and local area; where to find local shops, and arrange a sim-card if necessary
• Lunch
• Introduction to the Project, Project site and start participating on the project (if possible).

Weekly Schedule

Monday to Friday

• Breakfast
• Childcare Volunteering Placement  2-3 hours
• Lunch
• Childcare Volunteering Placement 2-3 hours
• Dinner

Evenings and Weekends

Your evenings and weekends are free to do as you wish. There’s plenty to see locally after your day of volunteering! Many of our volunteers plan group outings together at the weekends, or simply hang back at the accommodation and get to know each other in the evenings.

Places to Visit

Esparza and Puntarenas have plenty to offer for weekend activities, including horse riding, watersports (surf is huge), game fishing, canopy tours, hotels to suit all budgets, and some of the best scenery in the world. Puntarenas is also ideally suited to take a scenic ferry to the Nicoya Peninsula and its many secluded beaches.

Esparza is on the Panamerican Highway, so access to the rest of Costa Rica and the rest of the American continent is at your doorstep!

Please note: When confirming your dates please take note of the long holidays (late Dec to early Feb) and the other Public Holidays in the Holidays section which schools may take advantage of. During such times, renovation work continues, with the option to join special classes and English camps when requested by the local community.

This schedule can be changed and/or amended depending on weather conditions, local conditions and unforeseen circumstances

Esparza is an agricultural town and is the second oldest in the country. Further, it also has a rich history that includes legends of hidden pirate gold! The pace of life is relaxed here, and you will find locals to be incredibly warm and friendly – our volunteers are always the talk of the town when they come to visit!

About the Accommodation

You’ll stay in two newly built Eco houses in our centre in Esparza: Jaguar House and Toucan House.

These houses sleep up to 22 people, and most rooms have bunk beds, with all rooms single-gender. However, private rooms are available if preferred.

For relaxing, there is also a large dining hall/games room/communal area shared by both houses, with free WiFi, and table tennis, and a large garden of tropical plants, including coconut palm, papaya, banana, and citrus.

Food Arrangements

Costa Rican food is a blend of native American, Spanish and African cuisine, and is quite mild (not too spicy!). Further, you will have three meals a day on weekdays (two on weekends), all included in your programme. Most meals will include either fish, chicken, pork or beef, but vegetarians can be catered for.

Facilities

There are shops within 300 metres of the centre, and bars, restaurants, and an excellent public pool within 15 minutes walk. There is an ATM within 1km and more ATMs in town, about 2kms. Buses into town and further afield leave from within 300ms of the centre.

Esparza and the surrounding area has plenty of shops, bars and restaurants within easy reach.

Capital: San José
Language: Spanish
Currency: Costa Rican Colón (CRC)
Time zone: UTC -6

Country Information
Pura vida (“real life”) has become the unofficial motto of Costa Rica. And for a reason. Costa Rica is, in essence, a slice of tropical paradise in Central America, and its inhabitants, AKA “the ticos”, are justifiably proud of it. Perfect waves for surfing, breathtaking sunsets, misty crater lakes, waterfall-filled hiking trails, white-water rapids, sun-kissed beaches, adventure-filled paths and wildlife that includes howler monkeys, capuchins and other friendly-looking animals await you in this small, yet magnificently varied country.

Climate
Costa Rica has a reputation for being a tropical paradise, and rightly so. However, due to its diverse terrain, the country boasts a range of different climates.

Costa Rica has no real summer or winter due to its proximity to the equator, and the average temperature ranges from 21°C to 27°C. However, a rainy season does exist, and takes place between May and November. The central valley is often cooler than the coastal areas.

The Pacific coast tends to be hot and dry all year-round, especially the northern part (known as the Gold Coast), while the highlands (around Monteverde) are filled with mist during much of the year, due to the high altitude. The Caribbean coast is quite hot and moist, and receives rain during most of the year. The lowlands have quite a warm climate, with an average temperature of 26°C, and the Central Valley, including San José, is said to have the best climate in the country.

Culture
Costa Rican culture, as in most Latin American countries, is heavily influenced by Spain, as a result of colonization. However, parts of the country have other strong influences, such as that of Limón, which has more of a Jamaican feel to it. There are also several indigenous areas throughout the country.

A great part of the music and folklore of Costa Rica comes from the north of the country, where Mayan culture mixes with Afro-Caribbean trends. Costa Rica has a distinctive musical genre known as punto and most of its music can be easily distinguished by a very unique rhythm known as tambito.

Costa Rica goes by the motto Pura Vida, which means “pure life” and the phrase can be used as a greeting or a farewell, or just to say “that’s great” or “all’s good”. The phrase was originally from a Mexican film, but was soon adopted by Costa Ricans, and is used in several contexts to express a positive outlook on life.

Gastronomy
The cuisine of Costa Rica relies heavily on fresh fruits and vegetables as well as fish and meat. Rice and black beans are traditional and included in most meals. Potatoes are another staple of Costa Rican gastronomy as wells as plantain, a member of the banana family.

Due to the tropical location of the country, you will be able to find many exotic fruits that you might have never heard of before!

Due to the amount of tourism that Costa Rica boasts, international food is offered in many sites – from Japanese to Mexican to Peruvian.