Bay Babes Indoor Children’s Playspace Opens September 9

By Katie McFadden

Local babes finally have a place to play and grow. On Monday, September 9, Bay Babes, an indoor playspace for babies, toddlers and young kids, will finally open its doors.

Bay Babes, located at 112-20 Beach Channel Drive, will offer its first imaginative play sessions for young kids and parent and me classes for babies next week, filling a longtime need for parents on the peninsula. It’s a need that was noticed by young mothers and Breezy Point residents, Katelyn Bean and Nicole Rufo-Crockett, who decided to turn their dreams into reality and open a place for the whole peninsula to enjoy.

Both ladies bring plenty of experience with young children. Bean is a speech pathologist who started her career with babies in early intervention programs, went on to work at the Center for Children with Autism and then moved on to the NYC Department of Education (DOE), working with kids from ages 4 to 14. Rufo-Crockett is a social worker who grew up babysitting and started working with kids ages 5 to 14 in the DOE after graduating in 2018. Both wound up working at a public school in Brooklyn, where they first met, and became fast friends.

They also have personal experience, with Bean as a mom to a 12-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter, and Rufo-Crockett as a mom to a 3-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son. “Since Katelyn has older children, I often talk about my kids and she’s become a sounding board for me as I discuss these moments with her,” Rufo-Crockett said. “I started talking about how I’ve been searching for things to do with my son with mommy and me programs, but we have to go to places like Brooklyn or Long Island for things like that and nothing fit the schedule, so I said, I’m just gonna make my own. Katelyn looked at me and said, ‘I always wanted to do something like that.’ And soon after, we started looking for places.”

By the time they checked out a second location, things just felt right. “We just got a good feeling from everything about it,” Bean said. Rufo-Crocket added, “The landlord really helped us, and he was so warm and believed in us. He was pursuing us as much as we were pursuing the space, and everything lined up right.” That space is a 900-square-foot intimate space on the bay that used the be home to half of World Karate Center. The ladies signed the lease at the end of May and quickly got to work to bring their vision alive, creating a beautiful, clean and safe place for all children.

Living in a tiny town, they were inspired to make a tiny town the central theme of the playspace. Step into Bay Babes and you’ll find a mini home setup complete with a kitchen and laundry room, plus a farmer’s market, an animal hospital, and of course, a fire house. “We had to do a fire station in Rockaway. Even our contractor, my husband, Joe, is a firefighter,” Bean said. Bean and Rufo-Crockett were very mindful when curating the spaces, with children’s imaginations in mind. “We thought how the firehouse dog might need to go to the animal hospital, and then we have a farmer’s market where they can get food and bring it to the house to cook it, and then there’s the washer and dryer and a mop and broom to teach them about cleaning. It’s playful but based in reality and kids like to mirror their families,” Rufo-Crockett said. And it’s a place where kids can let their imagination run wild, as they’ve found testing out the aspects on their own kids and finding a can of tuna from the farmer’s market in the home’s dryer, after a recent play session. “We can’t wait to see what kind of play these kids come up with,” Rufo-Crokett said.

The tiny town also comes with a second floor, accessible by a ladder, with a slide to exit from, encouraging kids’ physical movement. There’s also a mini ball pit, as well as a library, where kids can grab a book and settle into a mini campsite and curl up with an educational read. They even kept parents in mind, creating a desk space where parents can sit and work remotely while their children play, and a free coffee bar, where parents can make their own coffee during a session.

Bay Babes will offer two types of programs. During weekdays, they’ll offer 90-minute play sessions in four different time slots for up to 12 children. They’ll also have private play sessions for those who just want sessions for friends or family. The other offering will be parent and me classes. To start, Bean will be leading “Babbling Babes” for groups of 1- to 4-year-olds and groups of 6-month to 12-month-olds, with five classes a week for parents to bring their kids once a week. “We’ll go through development skills like speech and language, of course, with that being my specialty, and then we’ll focus on sensory and motor skills as well as play skills, with about 45 minutes being semi-structured and 45 minutes being for free play,” Bean explains. Class topics will change regularly to keep things fresh. They’ll also offer their space for things like birthday parties and plan to host public parties for holidays with themed arts and crafts, character visits and more. “We’re open to whatever the community wants,” they said.

There are a few ground rules. Bay Babes does not serve as a drop-off daycare, so a parent or guardian must be present. After all, Bay Babes will not only teach kids lessons, but parents as well, as Bean and Rufo-Crockett will share their professional knowledge. “We want this to be where we teach you and teach your child. Play is the work of the child and for hardworking parents who have so much going on, play isn’t always the first thing on their minds, but we can show parents how to encourage it and how to get really good at it,” Rufo-Crockett said. Another big rule is that shoes are not permitted, but socks are and will be available for purchase for those who forget.  Walk-ins are accepted but reservations for sessions are highly encouraged since spaces can fill up quick, as the ladies have already learned.

“We sold out three of our classes already and had to open a fifth because of all these messages we’re getting,” Rufo-Crockett said. Without even having their door open yet, they say the anticipation from the community has been confirmation that opening a facility like this, is just what Rockaway needed. “The feedback has been so incredible. What we thought was a need was confirmed by the way people have been reaching out to us about classes and birthday parties and to say thank you for creating something like this,” Bean said. They already have more than 800 followers on their Instagram account: @baybabesrbny, which they launched just earlier this summer.

They’ve even had great support from other businesses. When they decided to open their business account at Ridgewood Bank in Breezy Point, a staffer was so impressed with their plan, he applied for a grant through the bank on their behalf. They won a grant for $2,500. “It was more validation and confirmation that we’re on the right path,” Bean said.

Bay Babes opens for weekday sessions on September 9, with plans to add weekend options starting in October. For more information and to reserve a space, check out: www.baybabesplayspace.com or call 718-474-2720.