Play Plus a place for kids

     By Lynn Collier
     View staff writer
      Like a small squawking bird with darting blue eyes, 4-month-old Katherine Witt lies in her bassinet while her sister, 2-year-old Alexandra, throws plastic balls at their mother, Lisa Witt.
      Lisa Witt said she's been taking her girls to Play Plus, 1000 Stephanie St., since it opened last year.
      "The kids have a lot of fun," she said. "The mothers can sit and chat and the kids can go wild while we take kind of take a break."
      She and five other mothers who formed a play group in their neighborhood bring their children to Play Plus often.
      "It teaches them how to share with each other," Witt said. "When they're two, it's just me, me, me."
      The play facility, which offers sports, art, science, and toddler play areas more than doubled its size this summer when it expanded to 6,000 square feet.
      Owners Maggie Cook and Robin Bell both have toddlers and had trouble finding activities for them when they moved to Las Vegas from Fort Lauderdale over the past two years.
      Bell said the only places she could find for her 2-year-old son Brendyn, was video arcades and area parks. He was too young for the arcades and the summers were too hot for her and her young son.
      "There wasn't anything healthy that you wanted to do on a regular basis," Bell said.
      The women partnered up in business after their husbands, who both work in the restaurant business, introduced them.
      Last year, Bell taught Kindermusik and Cook taught Young at Art and Super Science in the same office at Whitney Ranch Business Center, where Play Plus is currently located.
      After having some trouble shooing young parents and their children out of the office after the end of a class, they decided to open Play Plus, where young families could interact with each other. The facility provides physical and educational activities for children ages newborn to 8.
      "They (the families) really wanted to bond with each other," said Bell. "So many people move here from other areas and they leave their family support system at home. Lots of young moms have their first child here and their mom isn't here. This gives them a way to talk with other moms."
      Cook stresses that Play Plus is a place for parents to interact with their children. It's not a baby-sitting service.
      The facility offers more toys and learning equipment than can be found in most homes. It's also a big time saver for parents, who don't have to clean the kitchen after an art project.
      Cook said some young parents like to bring their single children to learn to socialize and play with other children.
      Bell said the enrollment in the classes has grown 60 percent each 16-week semester. Most days, Play Plus holds up to 10 classes a day at the Henderson facility and the Northwest satellite locations.
      The women hope to open a second Play Plus in the Northwest. They have not chosen a location, Cook said.
      Meanwhile, the hope to grow the business by meeting the demand for activities for young children in both the east and west side of town.
      Play Plus charges $6 for children for unlimited play time. Parents and newborns get in free. Children have to be accompanied by adults.
      Hours are Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Play Plus is closed on Sunday, but rents the facilities out for parties.