Safety, Freedom, and Creative Play Reign at Kidz Village

Angela Medina is a proud mother of three children, and she's had to create and attend a fair share of birthday parties for them and her friends.

Birthday parties, she said, and how to do them right is her passion. "At the birthday parties we went to, everything was so cookie cutter. No one was interacting, and there was no personalization. I thought, 'I could do this so much better,' " Medina said.

The result of Medina mulling over in her mind 'how to do it better' is Kidz Village. It's a unique party and play center where children can play creatively and safely, while their parents can watch and be entertained themselves in comfort. 

The first Kidz Village started in Kenilworth three years ago, and proved to be a success. Medina opened a second location on King Georges Road in Woodbridge last month.

With a village-town modeled after the adult world, Kidz Village includes a creative design that inspires a compelling atmosphere for fun and play. The village includes village elements such as a supermarket, movie theater, arcade, a pizzeria, and a 50's style diner. There are many other unique shops guaranteed to fulfill every child's particular interests and hobbies. Other unique shops include a salon, a tool shop, a comic book store, as well as a castle and a music nook for the artsy kids.

"Woodbridge provides a perfect location, with the Turnpike, Parkway, and Outerbridge all in this area. It's also great because of the demographics, attracting the Woodbridge, Edison, and Staten Island crowd too," said Medina.

Medina derived her inspiration for many of the shops from her own children. Her daughter Trinity inspired Trinity's Salon, her son Chris was the force behind Chris's Comics, and her daughter Lauren gave her the idea for the Music Nook.

Kidz Village has an 'Open Play' option. For an admission fee of $9.99, kids can come in and enjoy playing in the Village, catch a movie at the movie theater, or be a knight in shining armor at the Castle, among so many other choices.

The best part is that with each kid's admission, an adult admission is free. "It's like buy one, get one free," said Medina.

Parents aren't neglected either. They can socialize with one another, all the while keeping an eye on their children through large safety windows in various areas, so no matter what activity their kids are engaged in, they are within eyeshot. The facilities also have Internet access, so parents can do a little work or web browse while the children play safely.

Kidz Village can be addictive, so membership options are offered, such as three-month membership for $99.99. There is also a special option for stay-at-home Moms and Dads: after paying a $30 registration fee that includes the whole family, stay-at-home parents can bring in their children during weekdays for just $5.99.

Kidz Village specializes in birthday parties. With three ultimate party rooms, parents as well as organizations such as school clubs, find it an ideal place to hold a celebration. There are three private party packages available, the Mayor Package, President Package, and the Royal Package. With a staff that loves to have fun and be silly, each birthday party at Kidz Village is a memorable one. "Our birthday parties are unique because they are interactive, and we personalize everything," said Medina.

Birthday parties at Kidz Village cater to each child's interests. There is never a dull moment, Medina said, with each party geared towards the child's interests and hobbies, such as her own daughter's party.

"My daughter loves the Yankees, Spongebob, and iCarly, so everything at that party would be about what she likes. We would ask trivia questions about her interests while serving pizza, personalize the drinks, just constant interaction and personalization" said Medina.

"I wish this was there when I was a kid," said staff member Lauren Burns, who has been an employee with Kidz Village for three years.

The birthday packages allow non-stop fun for the kids, they get to play in the Village, play in the arcade, play games like simon says and freeze dancing. There can be up to 100 people per party.

One of the most important factors to Kidz Village is security. With an invisible marker, staff members write a number on the child's hand that matches the number on their parents hand. When the parents leave with their child, a staff member uses a special light to ensure that the numbers match.

"There is only one way in and out, every other door has an alarm hooked up to it, and all the doors have to be buzzed," said longtime staff member, Lauren Burns.

Currently Kidz Village has promotional offers out in four coupon books which include a buy one, get one free admission offer, and a $20 off coupon for birthday parties.