That is a question that I get asked quite frequently when I tell folks that I own a play café. “Is that like an indoor play gym with both slides and rock climbing structures and trampolines?” I guess that is what happens when you introduce an entirely new concept to your town.

Indoor playgrounds have been around for a little while, and there are many of these in our town of Burlington and neighbouring cities of Oakville and Hamilton. They are the places you take your children to when they wish to burn off their energy if it’s too cold out to visit the park, or when you do not want them to tear your house apart. They are the places where your children can run throughout mazes, climb ropes, and slide down slides and let out all of the mad!

It was actually at an indoor playground that the idea of Chickadee Family Cafe was born within my head. I had taken my afterward two-and-a-half year old to a favorite indoor play space in our hometown Burlington and strove to keep up with him as he raced down slides and throughout mazes. I crouched into miniature corners chasing my little guy around and came out utterly exhausted (proceed, insert jokes about how out of shape I am here).

When I emerged in the drama structures, I looked at the other parents. Many were standing about trying to maintain a visual on their own kids’ whereabouts. Some were calling their kids’ titles, hoping that they weren’t stuck in a maze…’cause c’mon, we all know no grownup really wants to have to climb all the way up those arrangements to retrieve a crying child. Mostly, they looked bored and exhausted. Perhaps their kids woke up at 6am too.

Do not get me wrong, there was plenty of laughter and giggles. I had fun with my son, which had been the major purpose of visiting the indoor playground, but at a place filled with other moms and dads around my age with children around my son’s age, there was a massive opportunity for building connection with my community that I felt was completely missed. As a new resident of Burlington I wanted to connect with other parents. But the atmosphere did not actually lend itself to using a real conversation.

I began to research what else was out there for a few quality mother — son time that didn’t require me to crawl on my hands and knees and then squeeze my buttocks through a tunnel fit for a toddler. I discovered drama cafes. Play cafes are comparatively new to Canada, but have been around the UK, Australia and the US for several years. A drama café combines the needs of both parents and children, fueling parents with caffeinated beverages while providing ample play space for children to explore and have fun.

Play cafes accept the community-focused way of a café and include a play space for children. In Chickadee Family Caféwe supply that coffee shop atmosphere which you’re utilized to sipping your latte in as well as an enjoyable child-friendly environment full of creative and toys based play activities. Once the play space is closed and the kiddos are in bed, our distance can quickly transform into a day assembly area for parent workshops, a couples’ date night or a meeting place for mompreneurs.

While most indoor playgrounds either do not provide meals or serve up fast food options or vending machine snacks, a drama café is a full-service café with espresso based drinks along with a hearty menu of healthy snacks and lunch items.

A play café is a bridge between an early years’ center and your local trendy café. Most play cafes offer child and parent classes and parenting supports through workshops and support groups, many things you can look forward to in Chickadee Family Café.

I hope that helped to clarify the difference between an indoor park and a drama café.