www.lux-review.com Page 9 LUX 2021 Parent and Baby Awards The PlaySpace, winners of the Best Upscale Play Group Center award, delivers an upscale and affordable, safe, hourly drop-in play care center. It focuses on providing a stimulating experience for children and a convenient, worry-free experience for parents. It strives to ensure every client feels like they and their children are genuinely cared for from their first steps in and last steps out. Jul21550 The PlaySpace provides a safe and enjoyable environment for children, ages six weeks to 12 years, to play, learn and be social so parents can be away from their children without worry. In addition, TPS is uniquely positioned to provide a valuable and singular service to the community because it is not a daycare; its customers are not bound to a monthly fee or service schedule. Lindsay Jones, Owner of TPS, states, “We consistently hear amazing testimonials from customers about how our service has enabled them to work, volunteer, participate in community events, and prioritize self-care- from doctor’s visits to mental health counseling- all while knowing that their children are safe, stimulated, and socialized.” The inside of the space was designed to accommodate the needs of all children during play, sectioned off to flow easily for group interaction and peer socialization. TPS’s core values and guiding principles include purpose- driven play care, socialization, learning through play, and exploring new experiences within a safe environment. Lindsay states, “TPS allows every child’s imagination to grow from activities that stimulate cognitive problem-solving and simple, yet creative pretend play.” The uniqueness of its business model meant that TPS could recruit a fantastic group of caregivers organically through reputation alone. Lindsay explains, “We easily attract caregivers who are interested in growing their knowledge of child development and our set-up and hours of operation allow our caregivers the flexibility to hold second jobs or complete schoolwork during their off time. In addition, all our staff have experience working children in other environments and have certification for CPR as well as basic child development.” TPS is different from most other childcare facilities in that it does not offer a structured schedule for children to come on a consistent routine. Therefore, it does not have tuition- based revenue to keep its facility in operation. Lindsay explains, “Our revenue stream is solely based on parents dropping children at their convenience -a luxury service for families, not an essential service. As we know, during a widespread pandemic, services that promoted socialization were not encouraged. This created a very significant problem for our small business.” Nevertheless, TPS has navigated through the Covid-19 pandemic with flexibility and grace. Lindsay explains, “We have pivoted our marketing strategies to target specific needs we noted in the community - learning Pods, an infant Mother’s Day Out program, and even structured potty training and summer camps. Through this, we continued working hard to build relationships in the community by partnering with other businesses as much as possible.” Through its Learning Pod Program, TPS has committed to the community’s children to ensure they had access to a safe space in which to learn virtually and grow socially. Additionally, TPS hired private tutors, purchased school supplies, furniture, electronics and created a space for children pre-k to 4th grade to come daily to complete their online distance learning with the support of a certified teacher. Lindsay explains, “We offered a variety of schedules to parents who needed support from a regular school day when working or caring for other children in the home. This opportunity assisted TPS in generating revenue to retain our talented staff and cover basic operating expenses. It also allowed the children of our community to engage with peers, continue their education, and get a break from being under quarantine at home.” Furthermore, TPS launched a Babies Who Lunch program in Willow Park to target infants’ socialization, feeding, and communication. Lindsay states, “We tapped into the unique resources of our staff, including myself, a licensed Speech- Language Pathologist, to create a program that is flexible for parents and encourages development among our infant population. This program is specifically designed to allow the babies who were born during the pandemic and confined to their homes for several months to engage with peers.” Company Name: The PlaySpace Contact Name: Lindsay Jones Address: 6956 Allen Place Drive, Fort Worth, Texas 76116 Web Address: www.theplayspacefw.com Contact Email:
[email protected] The PlaySpace Best Upscale Play Group Center - Texas