Clinton Hill Playgroup a Community Building Block, Owner Says

A new Clinton Hill children's play group is gearing up to not only be the premiere spot for tots to get their sing-a-long fix, but serve as a community-building locale for children and adults alike. 

The Brooklyn Doodles, a play group and music program starting at JACK at 505 1/2 Waverly Ave. in the spring, will hold classes geared toward children ages 18 months to three-years-old led by musicians and group leaders "who are here to enrich the lives of our kids," said owner Danielle Katz. 

And if anyone knows about enriching the lives of children, it's Katz. "I've been a nanny for over 16 years in the city," she said. "People would say to me, 'You should become a teacher.' I'd say I didn't want to be a teacher, that I was in school for something else, and they'd say 'No, you should be a teacher.'"

Though she wanted to become an art teacher, she studied political science and business as an undergrad, and got a masters in international relations. Still, it always seemed like she came back to taking care of children.  

"All the jobs I was looking at were 'coordinator for family' this or 'coordinator for children' that, and I thought 'you're still looking to work with kids!,'" she laughed. 

After an acquaintance asked for her assistance in opening a family program featuring performers and story time, it hit Katz that that was what she should be doing. "I thought, 'Why am going to work for someone when I can work for myself?'"

So Katz got to work and developed Brooklyn Doodles. "I really like the [idea of a] play group, and I think for me, being a nanny, the playgroup was such a integral part of the day," she said. "The teachers knew us, the kids knew us, the parents knew us. It wasn't just the connections they made in the classroom, it was a connection and community spirit. I really like that."

Playgroups will meet at JACK on Wednesdays and Saturdays. 

On Wednesdays, a group of ten children, ages 18 months to two and a half years old, will meet from 1:30-2:30 p.m. On Saturdays, ten to 14 children, ages 18 months to three-years-old, will meet from 10:30-11:45 a.m. 

Katz purposefully designed the group to be smaller in size. "I want everyone to be able to interact," she said. "You don't want kids just running around screaming, you want to get something out of it. [In smaller groups] a lot of these times, these kids end up playing together. The toys-- it's like having a conversation over a cup of coffee, the coffee is just there-- are part of the conversation."

Wednesday classes are $15 individually, and $120 for eight weeks. Saturday classes are $30 individually, and $240 for eight weeks. Classes are scheduled to begin May 1 and will take place through July, break for two weeks, and then resume for the last two weeks in August. 

"I'm thinking of it in terms of building a group," she said. "Sometimes when you have a group going, it can kind of break the flow when you have someone drop in, but we want you to feel like you can come whenever you want."

This Saturday's open house will be held from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at JACK at 505 1/2 Waverly Ave. A second open house will take place on April 20 and will be formatted in the 40 minute play group style. 

Though it's been hard work getting this business off the ground, Katz couldn't sound happier.

"I really enjoy what I do," she said. "It's not just a job, it's been a career. It's taught me a lot about how much I can tolerate; it's taught me a lot about being compassionate and being sensitive. Life is great when you can sit back sometimes and learn from a 2-year-old."