At Ease at At Play Cafe
February 2, 2010
by Caroline Holt
2254B Hunters Woods Plaza
Reston, VA 20191
703.391.6131
Google Map
If I were designing a place to meet all of the needs of a preschool parent (stay-at-home or part-time worker), I would build the At Play Café. In spite of priding myself on rarely leaving my 5 mile radius and NEVER going anywhere outside the Beltway, I will return to Reston often to visit the At Play Café.
Nestled in a strip mall a little over a mile off the Dulles Toll Road and about three miles from Reston Town Center, the At Play Café is like an oasis from being “on” as a mom, for a few minutes or a few hours. You walk in and it seems like a small bakery or sandwich shop, but then you notice a giant loft and play area bustling with preschoolers whooping with delight. This is no ordinary bakery or sandwich shop.
We paid $8 for the first child and $6 for the second, and I picked up an iced tea. The owner, Susan Chen, who is lovely, told us a little bit about rules (e.g., you must wear socks) and asked me to sign a waiver. The waiver committed me to stay onsite or immediately reachable by phone (or they call Child Protective Services if they cannot locate after 10 minutes). I found it a reassuring safety step. My kids each got name tags, slid out of their shoes (and had they not had socks, I could have purchased some adorable ones for cheap) and they were busting down the door to get into the play area faster than I could tell them where I would be sitting.
Susan and her brother, who run the At Play Café with the help of a manager and several staff, have built in a bunch of great short (and often free) activities to engage kids who are at the play area and entice others to come for a visit. As such, we arrived at 4:30 on a Friday, to correspond with the Messy Art time slot. It is an intoxicating play space (there is a slide and tunnel and steps, a beautifully crafted barn and theater setting plus the typical books, games, toys and play kitchen that you would expect to see at a preschool). So, my kids were not excited to leave their new digs for the wall painting project, but an hour later, the staff broke out the playdough in the Gym Studio (separate from the play space) and both of my kids made a beeline for the less messy art project.
In the nearly two hours that we were there (a full hour longer than we’ve ever stayed at a kids gym), I saw a Muslim woman engaging in prayer on the gym mats while her kids enjoyed messing with the playdough, I saw two women strike up a conversation about having a second child while one nursed and the other devoured a cupcake, one woman completely engrossed in her work with her back turned away from the play area (which was totally okay because her kids were being attended to!) and several others snacking, connecting with their kids and with each other. Really, I thought I had died and gone to SAHM heaven. A place to connect with other moms, get a snack, do a little shopping for adorable shoes, environmentally friendly lunchboxes or jewelry and have my children tended to for a few hours for $14 plus snack and/or splurge shopping costs? I thought I was dreaming.
Given cold and flu season was in full swing, I was curious about the cleaning practices. Their manager told me that the staff cleans everything in the play space twice a day. They spray down all of the equipment and toys, so hygiene in the kids area appears top notch. That said, I found several of the tables and chairs to have trash or sticky leftovers on them. I would certainly prefer their attendants to watch my kids, but perhaps they should have someone wipe down the tables more frequently, and remind patrons to think of their neighbors when they depart.
I had two unsettling moments in an otherwise dreamy Friday afternoon. Specifically, the same mom--mind you it was a mom and not the At Play Café staff--let my 20-month old son out of the play area twice, seemingly accidentally. The first time, I saw him escape and run towards me, but the second time I heard one of the attendants call him (fortunately all of the kids don nametags) and usher him back in, then glance over to see if I had noticed too. My stealth child’s escape is particularly disconcerting since the play area door is about 15 feet from the front door & parking lot of the At Play Café.
I later noticed that the attendant posted closest to the door was texting (albeit quickly) while kids were in her charge. I found that disconcerting, but I suppose short of forcing their attendants to keep cell phones under lock and key, the management may not be able to stop that entirely. As such, I think that a better gate system, where the gate closes and locks automatically would help ensure that all kids stay put whether an adult is paying close attention or temporarily preoccupied. In spite of these hiccups, I found the staff engaging with the kids, spotting them on equipment and calling them by name. Kids clearly felt at home there.
I found the At Play Café both bustling and relaxing all at once, and I found the staff members professional and genuinely excited to spend time with children. Both the staff and space seem to exude a genuine interest in children and making a mom/caregiver’s day a little easier (kudos to them for what Susan indicates is decidedly not a lucrative mission).
At Play Café offers a variety of options for fun. They have a full slate of classes during the week (yoga, art, sports, cooking among others), they have drop off play options (Mothers Morning Out program), they have drop-in play options (where you and your children stay), open gym, birthday parties and they have loads of healthful food and drink options. Whether you stay for a short or long time, you and your children are assured to find something to do and someone responsible to do it with!
Admission & Hours
At Play Cafe is open MOnday to Saturday from 9:30am to 7pm and Sunday from noon to 3pm. Admission rates vary. Please check the website for specifics, but you can pay for a single entry to the play area for $8 for the first child and $6 each additional (free for children under 8 months) or you can get a monthly or season pass or 12-visit punch card. With paid class registration (scale from $60-120 for a 6-week session), your child can visit the play area for free just prior to or after that class time.
Upcoming Events
- Valentine's Day Cookie Decorating Workshop will be held February 13th at 9:30am or 1:30pm. Kids will enjoy an hour and a half of cookie making and decorating and embellishment of the heart-shaped glass dish. $30/child; $25/sibling, ages 3 and up. Reservations are required.
- Parents Night Out is held every 2nd and 4th weekend (Friday & Saturday nights). The next one will be held Friday, February 12th or Saturday, February 13th from 6 to 9:30pm. PNO is for ages 9 months to 6 years and children do not have to be potty trained. Cost is $30/child; $15 for each additional sibling.
Our Kids Reader Comments:
- "I have to tell you that my daughter (3 1/2 years old) and I love the At-Play Cafe! We have been frequenting the site for over 1 1/2 years now. The staff is excellent and attentive. Their playarea always has at least one staff member in it watching the kids and helping the smaller ones on the slide and climbing equipment, as well as playing with them.
I feel completely relaxed sitting outside of the playarea in their cafe where I can chat with other moms, read a book, knit, surf the net, etc. Without worrying about where my daughter is or what she is getting into. Yet she can check in with me as she needs to. They also offer daily free activities such as messy art time, as well as pay for classes.
They have a nice selection of hot and cold drinks (their hot cocoa is excellent for moms too and most of their coffee drinks are as good as the leading chains in the opinion of my friends and I); and a nice selection of meals ranging from sandwiches to hot pizza and quesadillas which can be ordered as a mommy and me meal (an entree with three sides for the kids like crackers and cheese and fresh fruit).
My daughter and I can often spend a whole day here easily from about 11 to 3 or so (when she is getting ready for a nap) without any meltdowns and we both go home happy!
Thanks for reviewing them, they deserve the recognition they receive for their space." - Jennifer P.
Have you been to At Play Cafe? What's your opinion? Just drop us a note and Our Kids will add your comments to this review.
