About Kango

Our Path
We began planning this project after visiting a family entertainment center outside of Boston.  Our son, who was two at the time, was so upset upon leaving that we literally had to pry his fingers from the equipment.   From his reaction, we decided that we wanted to create a place where kids wanted to play and not want to leave, here in Rochester, NY.

In our research, we found an innovative approach where a Family Entertainment Center combined with a Preschool worked really well together.  The students can use the center to play on a “permanent daily field trip” and the parents who value our center may want to send their children to our school.   We love the ideas of a preschool with a strong curriculum and learning through play. 

We also know that working families are looking for day care. By offering extended hours, we found a way to present our vision for preschool to people who need full day coverage.
As we started thinking of services we could offer to the community we realized we could add before and after school care, drop off care, vacation and day off camps, and special family programming.

With lengthy experience in education and a diverse business background we felt that we were the perfect pair to put this plan into motion. Our own three kids were excited for the updates and to see the plans and architectural drawings that we received from the builders and vendors.  


Our Plan
We started making calls to landlords and builders and looking for the perfect location that was convenient to people, but not so busy as to make parents of our students uncomfortable.  We found Eagles Landing on Jefferson Road near Winton Road and felt that it was a great place to set up shop.  We started contacting vendors for our play structure, air bounce units, roller/tricycle rink and redemption games.

Anywhere there are kids, there needs to be food. We contacted Noble Romans to set up a franchise pizza kitchen right in our center.  They offer an extensive menu that we will be able to supplement with additional healthy choices. With a kitchen in our building we can offer hot lunches to our students, and if parents want to pick the kids up after work and take a pizza home with them, we can do that too.

We paid a lot of attention to detail in our facility.  From personal experience, we knew we wanted a place where a parent could find a spot and keep an eye on multiple kids at the same time.  Our play structure slides all exit to the center of the building.   Our play center bathrooms have no entry doors, this way there are no germy door handles to push and no place to pinch fingers.
In planning the school we wanted lots of natural light, and every room has multiple windows for sunshine. Some of the rooms have floor to ceiling windows.  Every room has furniture that is kid friendly and sturdy, and a layout that lets the teachers interact best with students. We wanted a school facility that was warm and comfortable, but also secure.  The software that we chose allows us to monitor everyone who swipes their card to open the door to the school. There are also cameras in every room to monitor both students and teachers.


Our Philosophy
There are three keys to our philosophy. 

The first is Safe. With children of our own we know how parents worry about the safety of their own children.  We want an environment where every precaution is taken to make sure that kids who want to play can without their parents wringing their hands while they watch.

The second is Clean.  Our place has to be clean enough that parents will notice.  We get one chance with most people to show them what our standards are and we want everyone to be impressed with how we do things.

The third is Customer Service.  We want everyone who walks through our door to feel special. Kids are going to be excited by just seeing the equipment that we have, but we don’t want to be the place the parents bring them to begrudgingly.  We want be active in helping the families who need assistance, but not in the way of families who are enjoying their time together.

Our Promise
We want Kango Play Center and Academy to be the benchmark by which all other facilities are measured, and we will strive to be 100% perfect all the time. We will do everything we can to provide the best care for our students and the best environment for the people who use our center as we can. Every employee will be expected to treat all people, children and adults with respect.  
As owners, we will listen to feedback and be available to speak with customers. That is the only way to know if we are doing a good job.

Thanks and please come and enjoy.
Kango Play Center and Academy

Meet the Kango Team