Written by Warrington Youth Zone CEO Dave McNichol in the Warrington Guardian.
In March 2022 I attended the OnSide national conference with the chief executives and board members of Youth Zones across the UK and the OnSide team.
During the day, there was a presentation from the chief executive of Baby Zone, an initiative which was running in the three London-based youth zones. Baby Zone is a charity which is born out of the youth zones with the purpose of using the incredible facilities within the youth zones to engage pre-school-aged children and their parents or carers.
Baby Zone runs for one day each week, providing access to a range of courses provided by the WOW Group, including baby sensory, baby massage, toddler sense, dinky medics and a range of multi-sports activities. These classes are run across the UK and are extremely popular so can be difficult to book a place and in some cases, the tariff can be a prohibitive factor for many families, particularly in the current economic climate.
The organisation Baby Zone has been working closely with Homestart Warrington and Cheshire and Warrington Youth Zone to develop a Baby Zone in Warrington for the past 18 months. We are delighted to announce that the Baby Zone will launch in Warrington at the beginning of March 2024.
So, what can families expect to experience when they attend Baby Zone in Warrington?
Each Thursday we will convert the Youth Zone to a Baby Zone. We will open the doors each morning, during the school term times, at 9.30am.
Parents and their pre-school-aged children will enter the Youth Zone and will be greeted by the reception team of the Youth Zone and the team working on the Baby Zone including some of the team members of Homestart Warrington and Cheshire.
They will then be able to gather with other parents in the central area of the Youth Zone known as the ‘Rec Area’ which will have a range of soft play equipment for children to explore.
Parents will be invited to join a range of different classes throughout the morning and early afternoon, including Baby Sensory, Baby Massage or Toddler Sense.
There is no pressure to arrive at any particular time and parents do not need to sign up to classes but can choose to join as and when they and their child(ren) choose to do so. All of this is completely free of charge to families.
If you would like more information about Baby Zone or Warrington Youth Zone or you are able to provide support in some way to assist children and young people through volunteering, fundraising or promoting the charity please contact us on info@wyz.org.uk or call 997271.
