DARIEN — An activity center offering classes and interactive programs for children and their caregivers has been approved by Darien’s Planning & Zoning Commission.
The center, called The Wonder, will be opening at 800 Post Road, on the second floor of a building at the intersection of Boston Post Road and Sedgwick Avenue.
The Wonder also has locations on 1200 Post Road East in Westport and in Manhattan.
The space, on the second floor of a building, is currently occupied by an office occupied by Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, a brokerage firm that’s relocating to the Corbin District — another part of town, said Stephen Olvany, Darien Planning & Zoning Commission Chairman.
The Wonder is expected to open next fall in a 6,500-square-foot space, and offer dozens of classes.
“It’s a space where families can come. There are activities going on all day, so everything from … Dino Dojo and Dream Bakery and all kinds of activities to keep kids between the ages of zero and eight busy and having fun,” said The Wonder owner Sarah Robinson at Darien’s Nov. 25 Planning & Zoning Commission meeting.
“It’s a place where parents can hang out. We have activities all day long,” said Robinson, a Westport resident.
Classes include Beats!, a music class; Preschool Prep, which offers songs, stories, sign language, parachutes and bubbles; and Teddy Bear Picnic, which includes a “walk through the woods,” and a story time.
There is also a Wonder Vet Clinic class, where children help care for teddy bears, and a Wonderland Tea Party class.
There is a social hour for unstructured play and a mini camp offered during school holidays. Birthday parties are also available.
Caregivers will need to stay with their children while they’re at the facility. Class sizes are from 10 to 15 children, Robinson said.
The floor plan in the new space includes a play area, a Makers studio, a Wonder Box area, and a grab and go cafe.
There are 98 parking spaces at the rear of the building, which is shared by the onsite tenants. Additional offsite parking is also available within the adjacent Municipal Mechanic Street parking lot, on Mechanic Street and the Boston Post Road, said Fred Doneit, Darien’s assistant director of planning.