Another mum, Lisa said she had spoken to Catherine about “what bringing up young children is like and how important groups like this are”.
“The group is something we look forward to every week – I’ve met friends here which is obviously great for me but I’ve also watched how our children have developed, and that’s really important,” she added.
Catherine launched the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021, with the aim of raising awareness and gathering research evidence about the importance of the first few years of a child’s life.
In her essay published ahead of Thursday’s visit, the princess wrote: “While digital devices promise to keep us connected, they frequently do the opposite.”
Smartphones and gadgets have become a “constant distraction, fragmenting our focus” and undermining the time that families spend together, she added.
Home-Start Oxford’s CEO Katharine Barber said: “There’s such synergy between that message about connection and compassionate, caring support for young children and the role that we provide at Home-Start.”
“Our volunteers are living and breathing that, day in day out,” she added.