Kidville, one of NYC’s most admired learn and play places for kids’ ages 0-6, opened its first Northern Westchester location with much fan fare (they had a live band at their grand opening in early November) — but what sets this Mount Kisco facility apart from the other play spaces in the County? We decided to check it out and see for ourselves.
“Our focus is on creative classes for babies, toddlers and kids up to age 6,” said Kidville Mayor (aka owner) Diana Mann, a Fox Lane High School graduate and mother of two, when she greeted us for our tour. “Our state-of-the-art play space is just one of many options for families, making it easier for parents and more fun and exciting for children. Kids can run and jump on obstacles in our supervised, Big Muscle Gym, dance along in our theater to our signature Rockin’ Railroad music program, get creative in our art and dance studio, and so much more all under one roof.”
At 10 am on a sun-drenched Friday, Kidville was indeed already bustling. The front door opened into their one-of-a-kind children’s boutique, where, amongst shelves full of playthings, parents stood checking out the newest toys and accessories for their little ones. Families were already smiling and scurrying about on the eye-catching red and white dotted floor of the facility; and, as we followed Diana onward, we could see that the citizens of Kidville had wasted no time getting into their interactive Rockin’ Railroad sing and dance routine.
Kidville offers 30 innovative classes and programs developed by their own early-childhood development specialists. When you enroll your child in a class, you receive a complimentary Silver membership, allowing you access to the supervised indoor play space, and discounts on birthday parties and in the Kidville Boutique.
Some classes offered at Kidville include “My Big Messy Art Class” for the little ones, “Big Muscle Workout” for ages 3-6, and the “Rockin’ Railroad Music Class” for babies, toddlers, and kids up to age 5.
The “Rockin’ Railroad Music Class” is one of Kidville’s most unique offerings. Named “Don’t Miss Class of the Year” by New York Family Magazine, Kidville’s live 4-piece children’s band—Rockin’ Railroad—teaches your child tempo, rhythm, word recognition and sound identification each week using puppets, fun instruments and various musical genres.
Birthday parties are another one of Kidville’s distinguishing specialties; they offer 16 party themes from idolized superheroes to royal princesses. Party packages are all-inclusive with perks like the inflatable jumpy castle, a theme based art project and even personalized birthday invites. Kidville shuts down just for your party, and the best part? They do all of the work for you!
“You tell us what you want, and we’ll make it happen,” Mann added.
Kidville’s winter semester begins the week of January 13, and continues for 16 class weeks. The weekly 45-minute class costs $480 for the semester. Kidville is offering an Early Registration Discount through January 13, which includes $50 off each class and a complimentary Gold membership upgrade. See www.kidville.com/mtkisco for more details.