About Happy Day Play

Happy Day Play distinguishes itself as the exclusive parent and me program in the greater NYC area that seamlessly incorporates authentic family science and family life education principles into the core of its business model, making its holisitic program and class offerings truly one-of-a-kind. 

The idea for Happy Day Play derived from a simple belief – that parents and caretakers should actually feel like the experts of their children and that early learning starts at home with family members as their first educators. But in today’s modern world, that can feel nearly impossible between busy schedules, the lack of support “villages,” inaccurate or outdated information widely spread and more. 

Happy Day Play was created by Kaitlynn Blyth, a Family Life Educator and member of the National Council on Family Relations. Its mission is to revolutionize how the entire family unit can best support their little ones during the crucial formative years and themselves during the same transformative time, doing so in a way that is realistic in today’s world. With a background of knowing how to effectively communicate evidence-based information to millions of parents every month while working for the digital arm of the world’s most trusted parenting and pregnancy brand, What To Expect When You’re Expecting, Blyth combined her professional knowledge with her personal experience as a mother of two to develop a unique model that filled a gap in early education.

In its inception, Happy Day Play was originally conceived as an online platform, aiming to deliver emerging childhood and family development research to busy parents in fun and easily digestible formats all while promoting educational family fun within their normal routines. Following its digital launch in May 2023, the overwhelming requests received for in-person classes that aligned with this modern family-focused vision led Blyth to consulting with various professionals, including other developmental child and family researchers from leading institutions, and created a "grown-up and me" program framework that reflected the same ideology.

As the plan to implement this framework unfolded, Happy Day Play and the JCC of Staten Island naturally discovered each other and became the perfect match to introduce this new type of learning to the community on a larger scale. With classes open to both JCC members and non-JCC members, this collaboration allows Happy Day Play to be part of the JCC of Staten Island’s reputable Early Childhood Education and Family Program offerings, ensuring this revolutionary type of learning can better reach and support families from diverse backgrounds.

Starting on September 18, 2023, Happy Day Play launched a wide variety of distinctive parent and me style age-based milestone classes and mixed-age classes at JCC Bernikow at 1466 Manor Rd and JCC Avis South Shore at 1297 Arthur Kill Rd. Class subjects include Play and More!, Music and Movement, Sensory Art, STEM, and Pre and Early Language and Literacy Development. While all classes include the traditional mommy and me class elements such as parachutes and bubbles, what truly distinguishes Happy Day Play programming is the fusion of various cutting-edge teaching methodologies. Drawing inspiration from emerging scientific insights and a rich spectrum of effective teaching methods suitable for ages 0 to 5, Happy Day Play creates an approach that not only engages the intellect and imagination of the children, but also captivates and informs the adults simultaneously, fostering a joint journey of discovery and development that transcends conventional educational norms.

After classes launched, the collective sentiment echoed a resounding acknowledgement that Happy Day Play programming was both a breath of fresh air and offered elevated learning experiences for families unlike anything else available on Staten Island.