All they wanted was a place where their children could play with other kids. That was a tall order because their children had disabilities that made them function differently. So the five mothers joined forces, and the Center for Creative Play was born.

Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette Jing Zhou of Squirrel Hill plays with daughter Elim Chen, 2. Click photo for larger image. Related article Center for Creative Play welcomes complementary tenants Anniversary Preview The Center for Creative Play will celebrate its 10th anniversary on Saturday with a daylong party, free to the public, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Special activities will also be offered every day in October. A full calendar of events is available online at www.centerforcreativeplay.org.

That was in 1995. This month, as the center celebrates its 10th anniversary, it is more than the founders ever could have envisioned.

Not only did the nonprofit group buy the vacant Foodland building on Braddock Avenue in Swissvale and transform it into a bright, spacious indoor playground that draws 50,000 patrons a year; it also found a way to make itself financially sustainable over the long haul and to spread its mission of inclusive play space to other communities.

Mara Kaplan, the center's CEO and the only founder who remains involved, said the operation generates 60 percent of its $1.1 million annual budget through income-earning enterprises.

It rents space in the building to tenants chosen for their complementary missions and activities (see accompanying story). That income covers 85 percent of the center's mortgage payments. In addition, the organization produces and sells a series of CDs called "Time to Sing," with slower music designed to help children learn to speak.

Through a new advocacy and consulting practice, the center is helping create accessible play environments in other locations. Staffers will assess existing locations or review architectural plans for classrooms, children's museums, playgrounds and after-school programs. Two projects were recently completed in Michigan, with four more in development there, in Ohio and in Pennsylvania.

Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette Nikki Mead of Squirrel Hill helps her sons Peter, 2, and Lee Mead, 4, of Squirrel Hill put puzzles together. Click photo for larger image.

Also, the play space has a new Kids' Cafe serving healthy food designed to appeal to young palates. Chef Paul Hartman, most recently of Dunning's Grill up the street on Braddock Ave., uses a greaseless fryer that makes crispy french fries and chicken fingers using hot air instead of oil. The resulting tidbits still appeal to children but have 60 percent to 30 percent less fat.

"It sort of amazes me where we've come in 10 years," said Ms. Kaplan. "I never imagined this in the beginning. I don't think any of us did."

The other founders -- Susan Caretti, Carolyn Glover, Sharon Gretz and Betty Mickens -- had older children and moved on with them to other things, Ms. Kaplan said, although street signs in the main play area still bear their names. Her own disabled son, Samuel, was 2 when the group opened in its original location in Station Square, in space sublet from Louise Child Care.

The play room drew 1,000 visitors that first year. As the families came, the foundation money followed. The organization grew in square footage as well as in the number of employees and volunteers. When Louise Child Care left Station Square, the Center for Creative Play had 90 days to find a new spot.

	Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette Kellie Pruett of Penn Hills leads son, Max, 2, along a kid's obstacle course. Click photo for larger image.

Moving to the old Foodland was a big gamble. Not only was it a financial risk, it also required closing to the public for 18 months while renovations were under way. But the gamble paid off.

Today the center is a popular destination for families, care givers, after-school programs and field trips. On rainy days, the place is mobbed with young patrons having too much fun to realize that they're also developing their motor, perceptual, auditory, visual and social skills.

The center's staff now includes nine full-time employees, a series of part-time college students, and more than 500 volunteers from fourth-graders to retired teachers. Several young adults with disabilities are regular volunteers, and one had been hired.

The anniversary comes at time of growing concern that young children's activities are too sedentary, too programmed, too organized by adults. In a Harris poll commissioned by the nonprofit play advocacy organization KaBOOM, 75 percent of the pediatricians surveyed reported a decline in unstructured play among their patients; half cited a lack of quality play space within walking distance of their homes; 44 percent noted a reduction in school recess time.

Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette Jackson Boychuk, 4, of Indiana Township, with nanny Jen Cricks, is king of the castle. Click photo for larger image.

Virtually all the doctors were concerned about the increase in childhood obesity, and all agreed the unstructured play could help reverse the trend.

Child development experts say unstructured play develops social skills, builds confidence and improves problem-solving skills.

"Play is disappearing from children's landscape," Ms. Kap-lan lamented. "Our mission is to spread the word about how important unstructured play is for all children of all abilities."

New to the center this year: two wall-mounted sensory boards that provide texture, noise, musical and visual stimulation while teaching cause and effect; a horizontal climbing wall for older children; duck pin bowling; and a sensory room with padded floor, low lighting and fiber optics.

The too-small ball pool is gone, replaced by a make-it-yourself obstacle course. And the computers that once seemed so necessary are being phased out entirely.

"Kids are spending way too much time in front of a screen," Ms. Kaplan said. "They can get that in other places. Here we want them to do more active play."