Business
www.SanTanSun.com
July 20 – August 2, 2013
17
Fun and fitness is the focus of Great Play of Chandler BY ALISON STANTON
When Rich Iwanski and his wife, Barbara Deppisch, opened Great Play of Chandler in April 2010, they had one goal in mind—to help children learn and develop skills and fitness in a fun environment. Hopefully, they thought, it would start kids on a healthy lifestyle path that would last a lifetime. “We are both educators—we both have master’s degrees in education—and have studied child development and have worked with children for many years as teachers, coaches and tutors,” says Iwanski, adding that he also has a background in sports and fitness and is certified in body mechanics and movement. Deppisch is also a certified health coach. Great Play of Chandler offers a wide range of classes and other activities for kids of all ages, Deppisch says. That includes a parent-participation, Introductory Motor Skills program for children ages 6 months through 3 1/2 years that helps to develop muscles and joints; loco-motor, fine motor, manipulative and social skills; balance and stability; rhythm and more. “For ages 3 1/2 to 5 1/2 we offer a very creative class called Motor Skills and Intro Athletic Development, where we take imaginary adventures to the beach, jungle, outer space and more as we hone beginner skills like kicking, throwing and catching,” she says. For children who are 3 1/2 to 5 1/2,
CLAPPING WITH JOY: A young boy enjoys himself at Great Play of Chandler. Submitted photo
as well as for kindergarteners through fifth-graders, Iwanski says Great Play of Chandler offers multi-sport classes that teach kids age-appropriate skills from a variety of sports, including baseball and softball, soccer, basketball, flag football and floor hockey. “Additionally, for grades kindergarten through fifth, we offer Play 50! which builds motor skills, fitness, coordination, teamwork and overall athleticism without a focus on sports,” he says.
Word of Mouth
Great Play also offers a variety of age-appropriate and fun camps during school breaks and holidays, Deppisch adds. These include Adventure Play Camps, Sports Camps and Camp Parties. Great Play of Chandler features a patented Interactive Arena which, Iwanski says, is a unique feature among kids’ gyms. “We use half a dozen computers to control eight projectors, a directional sound system and a sensing system to bring our kids’ gym to life,” he says. “We have up to 20 different weeks of class curriculum and scores of unique camps, so every child and parent has a fresh and new experience each time they visit.” The gym also has a low child-coach ratio that is never higher than 6 to 1, and the facility is kept extremely clean, Deppisch adds. Iwanski and Deppisch say they definitely enjoy spending their days at Great Play of Chandler. The best part of their work, the couple says, is when parents tell them how much Great Play has had a positive impact on their child’s life. “We’ve had children with motor skill delays who have made great improvements due to our fun and engaging equipment and curriculum,” Iwanski says. He adds that he and Deppisch have also heard from many parents how their child’s P.E. teachers are amazed by the
increased confidence and improvement in sport skills that their child has attained through their classes and activities. And if the parents are happy, the kids seem to be just as thrilled with being at Great Play of Chandler. Both Iwanski and Deppisch get a kick out of seeing the smiling faces of the children as they
GETTING ACROSS SAFELY: Children get a kick out of working their way through a fun obstacle course at Great Play of Chandler. Submitted photo SEE FUN AND FITNESS PAGE 18
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