Communi-PLAY in Essex County is all about teaching communication skills to toddlers but it's also about play.

News 12 sat down with the speech language specialist who founded the program.

The Arc of Essex County in Fairfield holds free programs throughout the year for all ages. But this one in particular is geared toward ages 2 to 5 and their families.

"Communi-PLAY is a resource for parents and their children to come to a place so that they can communicate more effectively, through dancing, through moving, and through having extreme fun," says Communi-PLAY founder Jaquetta Perry-Boyd.

Boyd says it can be hard to teach toddlers how to properly interact, and oftentimes parents struggle to find free programs that offer help.

"You're working on your memory skills, were working on articulation skills, were working on projecting our voices, were working on making sure that we share and say 'please' and 'thank you,'" says Boyd.

Every other Saturday, Boyd hosts fun, interactive classes for the little ones and their parents.

"When you see kids having fun while they're learning, it just brightens their world and when it brightens their world, it brightens their family's worl," says Arc of Essex County CEO Linda Lucas.

The program is for toddlers of all abilities and skills, but it's been especially helpful to kids who need a little extra attention.