11 minute read
Youth Programs Creates Safe Spaces for Juniors of Many Ages
By Jake Ten Pas
Photos by Brandon Davis
Some folks love to talk about the good old days and how much better things used to be, but for MAC members with kids ages 6 weeks to 14 years, now is the golden age — at least when it comes to options for keeping kids engaged and in motion. Just ask mom of three Erin Hortsch, who grew up here at the club and frequented Open Play in the Gymnastics Arena, the precursor to today’s Indoor Playground.
“My mom often remarks how she wishes there was more of the same programming available when she was raising my siblings and me. Specifically, areas like Indoor Playground, where parents and caregivers are able to have a safe and enjoyable place for their children to play while they are able to socialize with others,” she says. “My husband, Alex, joined about ten years ago and has been so impressed with all the activities and classes there are offered for young children.”
At age 6, Hortsch’s twin girls Eloise and Hattie might not be quite old enough to use the Junior Lounge, but when they are, they’ll discover that options for tweens and teens abound, as well. “My twins can’t wait until they turn 7 to use the Junior Lounge!” Hortsch says.
“MAC feels safe and comfortable for our family. Since our daughters have grown up coming to the club, they feel confident and secure in all the spaces that are designated for Youth Programs,” she adds. “There are so many offerings for kids, which is the main reason our family continues to spend so much of our time here. We also think it’s wonderful that they are able to see so many people put time and effort into healthy habits and lifestyle choices.”
Building a Foundation of Play
That includes Hortsch’s youngest daughter, Olive, who is almost four years old and currently enrolled as a Blueberry in My MAC Playschool. She’s also squarely in the age range served by Indoor Playground, a service for member families with kids who can walk through six years of age. It’s free of charge for parents who want to stay and play with their kids, and there’s an hourly rate for those who drop off their children so they can work out or socialize elsewhere in the club. Upbeat music, bounce houses, obstacle courses, and brightly colored toys and mats fill out the Main Gym, where it’s held.
Since November of 2023, Indoor Playground Lead Jerzee King has held court amid the play structures, although she questions who really reigns supreme. “I think the children are the teachers. The classes, a lot of them center around just connecting with other people, and then the children guide you in play.”
Describing herself as “born to play,” King also has developed her skills and commitment to safety through a variety of jobs and the kind of continuing education that all MAC Youth Programs staff regularly undertake. She’s previously worked in daycare, as a nanny, and for YMCA afterschool programs. She started at MAC in sales but quickly realized that wasn’t the ultimate fit for her skillset.
“I genuinely love playing, and children, the way they can improvise and exercise their imagination, and the way you can bounce ideas off a child, it’s amazing,” she elaborates. “All of the Youth Programs team, we’re very dedicated to our roles. We have continual training for not only child development, but also compassionate leadership, kindness, advocacy for children, and of course, even things like play.”
As if on cue, while King discusses her love of the kids, a child named Cece runs over to try to lure her back to the mats, perhaps for a game of “baby goats.” “What’s that?” readers might well ask.
“We go around, we pretend to eat everything, and we just call out what we’re eating,” King explains, illustrating her willingness to get down on hands and knees to join the children in imaginative games. While she’s willing to do just about anything to keep club kids constructively entertained, there are some elements of life she can’t control — the weather, for instance.
“I cannot stress this enough. I see the most valuable part of Indoor Playground just being that it’s indoors and it’s a playground. Because we live in Portland, we only have so many sunny days, and the rest of the time we have all these beautiful parks that we can’t even use.”
Even so, King points out that she and her fellow Youth Programs employees never rest on that advantage to playing outside during the rainy months of the year. “We really care about the member experience and our role in shaping memories for the whole family. We understand and respect the role tradition plays in this community, but also want to try out new layouts and activities to keep everyone engaged.”
Some games never go out of style, like Duck Duck Goose, but have the kids played Red Rover lately, or Mother May I? What about Tug of War? “We’re going to experiment with where we put the bouncy house, and how it can affect the kids’ play when we rearrange areas. We also want the youngest members to have a lot to do when they come into our program, so we’ll be creating more baby-friendly layouts. There’s even a baby bounce house that gets broken out on Tuesdays, Fridays, and some Wednesdays!”
King acknowledges that the difference between age 1 and 2 is huge, and this can gap between what children at different stages of development need can continue to widen. “We make sure that different kids can have their needs met. Like kids who maybe need a more quiet space, or kids who like to play an imaginative game versus those who like to play a more active game. I’ve learned with time how to meet a diverse set of needs.”
But it isn’t just about the kids. King views her and colleagues’ roles as being akin to supporting characters in the movies of members’ lives. “We are always thinking about parents, grandparents, and nannies and what their experience is like. I would say 90% of the people who come in, they’re here to play with their kids, so they’re utilizing the space as much as the children. What is their experience from the time they walk in and are greeted? What can they can do with their children or grandchildren, and what questions might they have?”
She does admit that they had to stop letting parents play in the bounce houses because they were having way too much fun. “They were doing stunts in there, trying to impress the kids, and it would set off the alarm and just be a big old mess,” she recounts, laughing.
“Seeing all the families connecting together, building those relationships here in a place that’s open, that’s fun for the kids, that the parents can choose how much they want to engage in play — it’s awesome!”
Ever the Tweens Shall Meet
The old Groucho Marx quote, “I don’t want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member,” might be seen as a summation of the teenage — and tweenage — mindset. Whatever their parents do can’t be cool, nobody knows what they’re going through, and the drive to belong is forever balanced by the desire to remain aloof.
So, what to make of MAC? It’s a place where teens seem to thrive and enjoy being, even though their parents — ick! — also like spending time at the club. Answers to this question likely vary from young person to young person, but it’s hard to ignore the allure of the Junior Lounge and Fitness Room Gallery, adjacent spaces they can call their own.
“I’m really big on always trying to create an environment where everyone feels safe, everybody feels heard, and they feel like they can just be themselves,” says Junior Lounge Lead Seamus Coyle. After studying film at PSU, Coyle says he tries to approach it like someone creating the optimal environment on a film set.
“I really enjoy meeting everyone where they’re at on an individual basis and understanding what they respond to, what their boundaries are, what they like to talk about, what they don’t like to talk about,” he says. “I know all their names, I know their families, I know about them. Adjusting to meet each kid’s comfort level is where I really thrive.”
The Junior Lounge’s offerings range from ping pong, air hockey, Nintendo Switch, and board games to quiet spaces in which kids can study and Coyle’s favorite feature, movie marathons. With so many ways to enjoy the space, it’s possible to foster both individual experiences and group activities that encourage interaction for those who want it.
Just as there can be big differences between the ages of the club’s youngest members in Indoor Playground, the preferences and potential for social complexity between age 7, when members first can use the Junior Lounge, and age 14, when they age out of it, is huge. Coyle is committed to making sure everyone gets what they need, and that can require careful consideration.
“Since we do have 7-year-olds in there, that has to come first in terms of the type of language we’re using, the type of behavior. I want to make sure that the older kids who are in there are going to be good role models to the younger kids.”
Simultaneously, Coyle views the older end of the age spectrum with empathy and respect. “I think a lot of people are afraid of teenagers, which I personally don’t really understand because what’s a 14-year-old going to say that’s going to hurt my feelings? I was definitely an insufferable teenager, so I just try to remember the teachers and the people who made an impact on me at that age. A lot of them were the ones who would meet me where I was at, be very patient with me, and not go into it expecting me to say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing, but then checking me when I did.”
Everything moves in cycles, and while a junior who loved the lounge at age 9 might be too cool for it at age 11, by 12 they could be back using it again, whether with straightforward enthusiasm or a certain ironic detachment. All of these phases of adolescence are accommodated.
“I think a lot of people underestimate kids or write them off,” Coyle says. “I try to break through that, and I think that that’s where the most productive stuff happens.”
All Points In Between
Youth Programs Manager Kristin Bielecki shares her employees’ dedication to creating these kinds of personalized experiences while also making sure that every member gets what their looking for out of club programs aimed at juniors. “We’re always expanding our offerings, and we’re very open to feedback,” she says. “I want to make sure members know about all of the ways we can support them, from My MAC Playschool to Child Care during committee meetings to our Night Out on the Town events to the Dining Promo,” where parents can get free child care while eating at 1891.
There are also plenty of camps to choose from this summer for parents who need coverage and want to give their children something engaging to do while they work. Youth Programs staff even ferry kids between offerings when they are signed up for multiple classes or other related programs.
“We help kids navigate the club,” Bielecki says, making Youth Programs employees many members’ first unofficial tour guide to MAC.
“I have a deep trust in MAC Child Care staff,” Hortsch continues. “They have served our family so well through infancy to toddlers to kids. Our use of Child Care was the start of our experience with the family programs and led us to beginning at Playschool. We have explored more of the offerings as our children have grown and have loved the class offerings at each age!”
