Stephanie Schulze has a 3½-year-old daughter, while most of her friends have sons around 7 or 8. Daughter Rayana still plays with the “rough-and-tumble” boys, but Schulze wanted her to meet kids her age, too.
So she started bringing Rayana to the Family Resource Center St. Croix Valley’s weekly 90-minute Play and Learn program for preschoolers and toddlers. Kids circulate during guided play. “She’ll play with the fire trucks with the boys, then the dolls with the girls,” Schulze says. Since the program is free, registered parents gladly trade-off snack duty and take a half hour to discuss individual challenges, such as potty training or biting, Schulze adds.
Schulze takes Rayana to class whichever weekday fits her work schedule. “When we can’t go, she actually gets kind of mad,” Schulze says with a laugh.
Play and Learn takes place in Amery, Baldwin, Ellsworth, Hudson, Luck, New Richmond, River Falls, Roberts and St. Croix Falls, Wis., dependent on the day, for 90 minutes in the morning or Tuesday evenings. More information at the website here, or call 715.684.4440.
