Come visit our awesome outdoor space that features three fenced-in playgrounds themed for different ages! We have an infant play area, wobblers and toddlers play area, a sandbox, an open space for ride-on toys, baby swings, climbing structures, picnic tables and more!

EXCITING NEWS! Our beautiful indoor playspace is open for drop-ins! We are upstairs in the church in a big, bright area that overlooks the outdoor playground. The indoor space is available for drop-in use Monday - Friday 10am to 1pm.

Even though you may drop in to the outdoor or indoor playspace, when you arrive we require all participants to have adult supervision and we ask that all participants sign in so that we can continue to operate as a FREE nonprofit for all!

Our indoor and outdoor spaces are generously donated by Christ the King Lutheran Church!

We operate solely on parent and grandparent donations managed through the Community Foundation of SW Colorado. Your donations are so helpful to us to keep our playground open and free for all! Thanks for considering a donation!

Services

What is Cafe au Play?

For many parents, extended family is far away. The vision of Cafe au Play is community, friendship and peer support. Our mission is to provide a safe space for parents and youth to gather, share ideas, find friends and nurture healthy relationships.

Cafe au Play services include:

- Toddler-friendly enclosed play space -

- Classes, playgroups and support for parents of young children -

- Breastfeeding Support and Parenting Skills -

Cafe au Play is a non-profit organization with fiscal sponsorship through the

Community Foundation serving SW Colorado.

The Durango Cafe au Play is located at 495 Florida Road in downtown Durango. To access our outdoor play area, use the sidewalk on the far left of the church until you see the playground (behind the church).

Our indoor space is open for drop-in use!

To access our indoor play area, enter the front doors of the church and turn left.

Our space is at the end of the hallway.

Playspace and meet-ups

Our indoor play space is OPEN for drop-ins!

We currently provide open play opportunities outdoors and indoors Monday through Friday mornings from 10:00am-1:00pm.

Our baby group is on Thursday mornings from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Visits to our both our indoor and outdoor space is FREE, so come visit!

Activities

We offer a variety of activities for children and parents including:

- Parenting Classes (prenatal, lactation, nutrition, potty training, child behavior, sleep problems, etc.) -

- Arts and crafts -

- Story time -

- Safety-

About

Our Story.

Kelly Tregillus, one of the co-founders, moved to Durango from San Francisco in 2016 and was disappointed to see the lack of support and space in Durango to take her, then, 9 month old daughter to meet other moms or unwind in a child friendly cafe. She also worked from home and found the change to remote work a little isolating at times, prompting her to work from coffeeshops several days a week for a change of pace.

Not prepared to move to Durango, Kelly's daughter was not on any childcare lists, therefore, she had to patch together a nanny, mother in law and a 2 day per week childcare center to continue working. If any of those options weren't available, she had to try to work (distracted!!) and attempt to poorly supervise her daughter. That and the isolation from other parents and families lead to the concept of Durango Cafe au Play.

Liza Tregillus, the other co-founder is a mother of four, now adult, children. After moving to Durango from Chicago with her two oldest boys, then 5 and 1 years old, she missed the family daycare co-op she had led in the city. Liza quickly found her niche at the Mother's Center of Durango (now called The Family Centers Coalition) and experienced first hand how a sense of community can enhance a family's ability to thrive in Durango.

The Problem...

New and expecting parents in La Plata county have limited convenient local resources or spaces to take classes or meet new friends. There is a lack of support for families of young children and most cafes are not baby or toddler friendly.

Our indoor and outdoor facilities provide engaging play space for parents and children to meet each other and form a community. Isolation is such a big challenge across the country and we're focused on helping families make those connections.

Meet our founding team, Kelly and Liza!

Meet Kelly!

Kelly is a Fort Lewis Alum with a background in business development, account management and sales. She works remotely at home for a company based in San Francisco, California. Kelly is a Board Member and acting in an advisory role to the Cafe along with volunteering her time to help with cafe operations.

Meet Liza!

Liza, MSW, is a local Parent/Youth Coach and Play Therapist. Liza was previously the Director at the Family Centers Coalition of Durango where many parents were involved as peer leaders for play groups, parenting classes and other activities.

Liza has over 30 years of experience in health and human services and is responsible for developing the Durango Cafe au Play space and group calendar. Liza will offer training to volunteer parents interested in leading groups and coordinates cafe activities. She is also available for community resource and referral information.

In addition, Liza coordinates a peer mentor project for youth living with challenging health conditions (epilepsy, diabetes, autism, TBI, depression, etc). Liza leads peer support groups for their parents as well as coordinating teens and young adults that mentor others. Her passion is peer support, and she is excited that the Cafe au Play space is an incubator for connection. The cafe hosts parents of young children during the day, and older youth activities in the evenings.