Jack and Jill’s: A Place for Creative Play

People often ask us:  What is Drop in Play?   Drop in play at Jack and Jill’s is a time for children to play while being supervised by a parent or adult caregiver.  We created Jack and Jill’s to provide a wonderful play area for kids to explore, imagine and create.  Come have a cup of complimentary coffee or tea (served until 11:00am) while you watch your child play in our bright clean play space.  Complete with train tables, dinosaur table, castle table, construction area, dress-up, stage, art area, pretend house, restaurant and vet clinic.  Your child will love to use his or her imagination as they explore their surroundings.  Jack and Jill’s provides comfortable chairs and a couch where parents can relax and talk to other parents or use our free WiFi while watching their children.  We do not have age limits at Jack and Jill’s but typically children between the ages of walking  - to about 6 years old find it enjoyable. There are many exceptions, because every child is different.  We do like to mention that that Jack and Jill’s is a place for creative play rather than physical play.  We don’t have any climbing structures or jumpy areas.  We offer classes, demonstrations and occasional Kids Night Outs.  Please see our calendar for our monthly activities and events.

http://www.jackandjillsplace.com/Events.html

 

Drop In Play Guidelines and Policies

In order to make this a fun and enjoyable experience for all families who come to play at Jack and Jill’s, we ask that the following guidelines be followed:

For Adults:

• Adult caregivers must be 16 years or older.  The adult must be capable of supervising the child’s play, of enforcing Jack and Jill’s guidelines, and, if it becomes necessary, of removing the child from play.
• An adult caregiver may be responsible for no more than 5 children at any given time.
• Depending on the age of the child, it is often optimum for adult caregivers to participate in the play of the child at least part of the time while at Jack and Jill’s.  If you have come to work, relax, read, or socialize, please make sure that you are keeping one eye on your child at all times.
• Admission at Jack and Jill’s is for as long as you stay for one period of time.  The adult should be sensitive to when the child is ready to leave (rather than the other way around).  When your child becomes cranky, tired, or unable to follow Jack and Jill’s guidelines, he or she is probably ready to go.  We do not have a time limit at Jack and Jill’s, but for most children one and a half to two hours is the optimum stay. 

For Children (adults need to be certain that these rules are followed):

• Please walk (rather than run)
• Please eat only in designated areas.  Food areas are the black and white tables as well as the bench along the art area.  Food and children’s drinks are not allowed in the play areas.  Adults may bring drinks into the play area.
• Please remove dress up clothing before eating or doing messy art projects in the art area.
• Please keep all art supplies in the art area.  Parents should monitor the consumption of materials in the art area so that we may continue to offer our weekly art projects to all children that come to Jack and Jill’s.
• Feet should remain on the floor.  Please do not climb on tables, through windows of houses, etc…
• All play areas are shared areas.  Please help your child to understand that it is more fun to play with others than to exclude children from play areas.
• When using the slide children should sit on their bottoms and slide feet first.  Jumping from the top of the slide is dangerous and not allowed.

A note about peanuts:  this is not a “no nut zone” on most days.  However, if your child has a peanut allergy, please call us ahead of time and we will institute a no nut day for the day.  For parents who might have brought peanut butter, etc… on these days, we appreciate your understanding of this serious issue.  On any no nut day, families will be allowed to leave and then return to Jack and Jill’s after eating lunch or purchasing other food.  Thank you for your understanding.

Thank You for carefully reading these guidelines.  The wonderful families who come to Jack and Jill’s help to make this a great place to play.