Today we’re checking out the Village Parenthood Happiness Center in Mesa.
We’ve survived the heat of the summer, but it’s still nice to sometimes have a cool indoor safe place to let your kids play while you take a seat (we can hope, right?).
XO,
What is The Village?
The Village is an indoor play space geared toward children 0-6 years of age. In addition to offering a safe play area for kids, it also offers a community for parents.
Owner Sam Podio came up with the idea for the Village after having a tough time postpartum finding a community to connect with while raising her daughter. She is now creating the community she needed for others.
What types of classes are offered at The Village?
For kids:
The Village has Parent and Peewee classes for parents and kids to enjoy together. The classes are split into three age groups (0-12 months, 1-3 years and 3-6 years). The once-a-week classes center around story time, arts and crafts and sensory activities appropriate for each age group.
For parents:
Parents can also benefit from taking classes at The Village. Parents-to-be can participate in the Baby Prep Academy which offers several classes to help expectant parents prepare for their parenthood journey.
Parents are also able to take classes centered around breastfeeding, newborn care and mental health. Specialty classes with local experts are also offered periodically. I recently took a class taught by child psychologists focused on toddler anxiety and misbehaviors and it was a great and eye-opening experience to learn from experts while surrounded by parents who understand the issues at hand.
How does The Village Parent Happiness Center work?
All open play and classes are stay and play style, which means parents must be watching their children and kids cannot be left on premises alone.
All-day play passes include come and go entry so you can stop by in the morning and drop back in after naptime, which is definitely a perk with tots.
What types of toys and activities do they have at The Village?
Toys at the Village are rotated out quarterly and vary from baby toys to toddler level activities. A separate baby lounge has more infant-focused toys such as sensory balls, contrast cards, floor gyms and bouncers.
For toddlers, they have everything from a play kitchen to a building block wall that keeps the kids engaged and moving from one activity to the other.
Most of the toys are Montessori-style, so you don’t have to worry about 20 kids playing loud musical toys and hearing the same tune a million times.
There is also a sensory bin that has rotating items inside such as colored rice, pasta, and oats.
For those kids who can’t sit style for long, there are physically active toys such as a ball pit, Pickler triangle and soft play climbing pieces.
Is The Village worth the cost?
Yes! The Village is a great place to take your littles so they can explore a new environment, meet friends and take a break from destroying your house (just kidding, but really).
The cost of a pass is definitely worth it since you can come and go all day and the membership is even better so you don’t have to think about stopping in for 30 minutes or so to kill some time and burn off energy.
And meeting fellow parents and growing your own village is definitely an added bonus!
What does it cost?
An all-day play pass costs $15 per kid with a discount for additional siblings.
Wednesdays are usually discounted at $10 for a play pass.Classes are an additional charge, usually around $15 per class. But each class includes a play all-day pass, so the cost ends up balancing out if you take advantage of both!
If you’re planning to visit more than a couple of times a month, the Village has several membership options that can work for families.
Baby Steps:
$45 per month for infants 0-6 months. Includes unlimited drop-in admission for one child ($10 per month for additional child), one class per week and membership event discounts.
Play All Day:
$65 per month per child ($10 per month additional per child). Includes unlimited drop-in admission, membership event discounts, $5 guest passes (5 per month).
Village Explorer:
$85 per month per child ($10 per month additional per child). Includes unlimited drop-in admission, one class per week and membership event discounts.
Each of these memberships are worth the value as long as you’re utilizing the open play, which we have definitely been able to do with my toddler.
