About Us

Meryl Opsal, M. Ed.

Director and Lead Instructor

Meryl Opsal is an educator, consultant, writer, performer, and founder of Romp & Rollick. She holds a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood and Childhood Education from Bank Street College of Education, where she trained in the Developmental Interaction Approach. Meryl began her career as a classroom teacher in New York City before expanding into academic consulting, family coaching, and eventually school and business partnerships. She has since collaborated with parents, schools, toy designers, and app developers to bring child-centered learning and play into diverse settings.

In 2017, inspired by her own journey into parenthood, Meryl launched Romp & Rollick, creating the type of parent-and-child classes she wished existed—blending parent education with process art, sensory exploration, and open-ended play. During the COVID lockdowns, she created Ah-Ha Fun Time, an outdoor in-person class that offered storytime, process art, and sensory experiences, giving families a safe and joyful way to come together.

After facing and surviving stage IIIC triple negative breast cancer in 2023, Meryl relaunched Romp & Rollick in 2025 with renewed vision and resilience. She now offers classes, consulting, and professional development for families, schools, and businesses—and she’s planning to expand her services even further in 2026!

Meryl also co-created and hosted the children’s fiction podcast The Story of Captain Charlotte and produces the R&R ASMR YouTube channel, inviting audiences of all ages to slow down, explore, and wonder.

Approach

The Developmental Interaction Approach blends child development theory, social interaction, and hands-on engagement with the real world to create learning that is child-centered, meaningful, and joyful. Rooted in the work of Lucy Sprague Mitchell, John Dewey, Jean Piaget, and constructivist theory, it views the teacher as a facilitator who curates topics, maintains the learning environment, and designs curriculum to foster growth. Over time, the content of the curriculum deepens, which is why this method is called progressive education.

Practices familiar to many—process art, hands-on learning, circle time, group projects, and reflective work—are all grounded in this framework, though the terms are often overused or misunderstood. Meryl helps educators, parents, and child-centered businesses reconnect these ideas, bringing clarity, insight, and practical guidance. She approaches every situation with warmth, curiosity, and a growth mindset, seeing how all aspects fit together and how best to support the goals of each child and stakeholder.