Right beside the new HUB daycare centre there’s another game in town. Wildlings Play Café offers an indoor children’s play space where parents can relax.

It’s the brainchild of two couples who moved to the County in 2020. Sarah Georges and Callum Bramley, and Michael and Mishaal Taylor — who between them have three kids under 5 — got to talking, as their little ones came along, about the dearth of places to hang out with kids.

“We thought, if we are going to do it, we are going to go all out,” says Mr. Bramley.

The bright, newly renovated space features a floor-to-ceiling rock wall, a custom wooden play structure with a slide, a separate toddler and baby soft play area, a reading room, even STEM activities across a vast 2400 square feet.

“It’s a whole bunch of things you wouldn’t have at home,” as Ms. Georges puts it.  

The four also have day jobs in corporate sales and marketing. A survey of a PEC parents’ group on Facebook garnered 187 responses — and a resounding ‘yes’ to the idea. “It was clear we needed this two or three years ago,” says Ms. Georges.

A play café brings a little bit of England to Prince Edward. Callum and Michael are both from the UK, where play cafes are a much more established resource. But the idea is gaining traction: the Press Play Cafe opened in Belleville just last month.

A visit to Wildlings costs $14 per child from six months to 7 years for a couple of hours, with coffee and treats available. Parents can read, talk with friends, or even get some work done while their kids enjoy a safe, carefully structured play space.

“What is most important to me when my child is playing is that I can see them,” notes Ms. Georges. Wildlings’s play areas keep everyone in view. They are also quiet, with no blaring music, and muted colours to avoid over-stimulation.

A grand opening is slated for mid-December.