Café au Play

Mission

The Durango Café au Play host a FREE place for parents and caregivers of babies and toddlers to gather, connect and find support and friendship.  For most parents, extended family support is far away. The vision of the Café is one of a caring, supportive community during the critical early years. Our mission is to grow safe, welcoming places for parents and littles to connect. We believe it is vital to stay a free place in the community so that all can benefit from our services without regard to financial limitations.

The main location of the Café is hosted by Christ the King Lutheran church, 495 Florida Road in Durango. The outdoor, fenced playground is nestled in a serene bowl of trees, and an indoor play area and parent lounge is there as well. The Café also hosts "pop-up" play areas in local restaurants, parks, or community spaces to welcome younger children. The Durango Café au Play also supported the startup of The Community Treehouse in Bayfield.

Please help us to decrease the stress of caregiving during the critical early years, when 90% of brain growth occurs. Most donations so far are from grandparents who are holding space for these young families, please join our team! Your donation will go towards improving our outdoor playground by adding a large gazebo and updating our toys. A portion of the donations will also go to funding programs and classes offered at the Café to make free or very low cost for families.

Programs

Below are descriptions of our programs that we offer to our families. Almost all of our events and classes are donation based. Our goal is to make all programs free to families, and with your donation to Café au Play we can make this possible. 

Follow us on Instagram @durangocafeauplay or Facebook to keep up to date with events and classes that we offer. You can also check out our website: Café Website

Testimonials

"Café au Play is exactly the community hub we needed when we had our first child. It's a fantastic space to connect with other moms and parents during those challenging early years, and it offers the best outdoor play area for summer mornings. We're so deeply grateful for this wonderful place!" - Kelly Zepelin

"I really appreciate meeting other families. My kiddo loves exploring the play space and is making little friends." -Micah Helton

"Finding a place in Durango that is free for young kids is amazing! My toddler loves attending the music classes and Montessori classes. As a mom, I have found a whole new friend group that I never would have found if not for coming to the Café. I appreciate all the things that Café au Play does!" -Dani Zafar

"Before Café au Play, I didn't have any friends or really know anyone. Now for over two years I've had friends, acquaintances, support and fun activities that make me feel like I'm part of a community." - Elle Anderson

Take a look at the little faces that you will be helping to support! 

Café au Play is proud to be a fiscal project of the Community Foundation of Southwest Colorado.