Parents usually have a long list of “If onlys. . . .” If only I could go shopping without someone tugging at me and begging for sugar-laden snacks or running helter-skelter through the clothing racks. If only I could have a quiet meal without spilled milk or conversations dangling in mid-sentence. If only I could workout without wondering what kind of wrestling match is going on at home with the baby-sitter.
The litany of wishes goes on, but it doesn’t have to anymore. The Leaning Tower Family YMCA in Niles has opened a drop-off center, called Mazing Kids, that fulfills every parent’s wish for a safe and fun place to leave their children. Just name it and senior program director Kathy Holland, a mother herself, has thought of it.
Will you actually be able to leave your children at the center long enough to be able to run all those errands or have a leisurely meal or see the latest movie? If three hours will do, then the answer is yes. Can you get away early in the day or later in the evening, on a weekday or a weekend? Yes, because the center is open seven days a week and often as late as 9 p.m.
But will your child be safe when you’re away, and what if there’s an emergency? No problem. Holland has taken care of the “what if” factors. The children will be supervised by five full-time YMCA employees who are trained in first aid and CPR. Parents are given a beeper when they leave their youngsters so they can be reached in an emergency. Children and the adults that accompany them each receive an identification bracelet so there are no problems at pickup time.
“We will always make sure the bracelets match up before releasing a child so that no one goes home with the wrong person,” explains Holland. “In this day and age we have to be so very careful. The wrist bands cost 7 cents apiece and it’s well worth the price.”
Do you have to feel guilty leaving them? Probably not. Chances are they will not miss you and will ask to come back because the center includes interesting play areas.
There’s an area for toddlers that is landscaped with mats forming tunnels and hills and valleys and has other soft-edged obstacles to challenge the momentum of little ones. Then, for older children, there is the double-decker play center with 15 activity stations. They can jump up and grab onto rubber rings on a moving overhead rail, or walk a tightrope made out of braided rope, or cross a beam in the Air Jungle and try to maneuver past obstacles in their path.
“The maze is similar to the ones at the Discovery Zone and Leaps & Bounds, but we don’t want to just put the children in tubes and let them run around,” says Holland. “We created challenges and we want to work with them to learn to master the challenges we have incorporated.
What do the kids think? One unusually articulate 2-year-old, who got a sneak preview, probably voiced the consensus of both children and their caregivers. Says Holland, “He walked in and looked around and said, “I like this place.”
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Mazing Kids drop-off center for ages 3-11, Leaning Tower YMCA, 6300 W. Touhy Ave., 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday (6 p.m.-9 p.m. for families only, no drop-off), 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday; $5 per hour for YMCA members, $7.50 per hour for non-members. Children are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, but phone reservations can be made; 708-647-8222.