Jump for Joy Play Centre — Local services in Toronto

This is a great event space for hosting young children’s birthday parties. My nephew had his first birthday party here this past Saturday and we had 6 kids total at the location of 1472 Danforth Ave. It was a fun and clean party place for kids of 1 years old up towards 4 years old. The owner through out our communication leading up to the party was very kind and responsive.

However I am leaving this review for two party hosts who were present at the party and representing Jump forJoy . There were some things that happened that did not really add to a positive experience of our party here, which were that: the two party hosts were not very friendly at all, let alone helpful. When our guests needed more chairs we had to find them ourselves and bring them to the table. Secondly, when we were having the pizza all together the party hosts just stood there staring at us and we had to serve ourselves (it is in the service description that the party hosts present are supposed to cater to the guests) instead I did majority of the serving and the entire time while we were eating, the party hosts were just glaring at everyone with a face of annoyance and boredom which made it very uncomfortable for our guests. This was a huge factor of their unfriendliness, even at times towards the children. When it came to serving the cake they did not show any initiative to cut or serve the cake until they realized all of the adults had their hands full with our babies.

The pizza did not arrive scheduled on time and it was 20 minutes delayed which was fine however, with the 2 hour time limit that our party was booked for we had to ask if we could have an extra 20 minutes added onto towards the end of our party. The fact that this solution was not offered to us but we had to ask for it and then it was not initially taken very well by the party hosts was off putting. The owner ended up rectifying this small issue and granted us the extra 20 minutes we would have lost.

The next issue is that while the event space is beautiful and the party set up with our decor looked great. There was a helium ballon bouquet included in the party package that was never there nor did we ever receive. As well as balloon strings that should have been attached to the balloons that we provided and later wanted to give away as apart of the party favours.

Lastly, this was the largest of the issues among the little things in my opinion besides parts of the party that we paid for and never received. I was eye witness to this account that happened and that was, that the party hosts gave each other a visible look of annoyance as we were leaving for seemingly no other reason than that they were judging us. It seemed very unnecessary as we had been nothing but polite and friendly with them and were leaving on time.

Overall these things that I mentioned did not contribute to an enjoyable experience that we were expecting for a baby’s first birthday upon booking this party at an event space/party facility. These things made our experience here (at a great establishment) a negative one. When it should have been a day completely filled with celebration and joy. I don’t think the party hosts were acting in a professional manner that reflects the company’s values or promised deliverance of the service we paid for. We still had a great time nonetheless but these were my biggest takeaways! Hopefully this review will reach the owner, who can then encourage this situation to be a learning opportunity for those party hosts to do better as well as an opportunity to make sure that they are fulfilling the party...

FINE PLACE IF YOU HAVE PRE-SCHOOLERS AND CAN ADJUST TO THE CONSTANTLY CHANGING RULES! This is sad because its a very promising drop-in. The first time i went I got into a dispute with the owner because she did not allow parents to bring in snacks for the little ones. Then I asked her if we could leave to get a bite (because we couldn't bring in our own snacks) and come back. She said we couldn't. But after a long discussion she said she would allow that and what she really wanted was to keep people from bringing in pizzas and big meals from the outside. She also, fairly enough, said she didn't want people leaving and coming back because she wouldn't be able to remember who came and went. That's fine, I guess, if someone leaves and comes back 4 hours later. But if the whole reason we are leaving is because we need to feed our kids food when she said we couldn't bring in snacks, that was something else. But, again, after a long discussion, she understood where I was coming from and said a quick trip to grab a snack would be fine. OK, then the next time we tried to go the hours of operation had changed. OK, Fine. So, after several calls back and forth with the owner (it was summer time during summer hours) we found a time where our schedule met her summer hours. So, my kids actually had a phenomenal time. And we were eager to come back. Two months later I called to make sure the place would be open during the hours we wanted to go and the owner told me that she changed the rules again. That it was now only open to pre-school-aged kids. My kids are 4 and 6. So, after telling them we were going to Jump for Joy, both kids were so excited to go again only to be told that they couldn't. In fairness the owner told me we could still come anyway but by then I had had enough. I don't want to accept charity. If the rule is that a 6 year old is too old to go to a play place for kids, then that's that. Another issue I had is that the owner had cased out Kids Fun Town - just two subway stops away, and had essentially copied that play place and opened a competitive place quite close. Fair enough in this modern world but it seemed a bit of a sharp practice to me. Fine enough if you want to copy someone's successful formula but couldn't they have opened further away in a huge metropolitan city so she wasn't competing against the business she copied.

All the above said, I am somewhat sympathetic to the new owner. She is trying really hard to find her own niche. The place is terrific! It is super clean! The bathrooms are the best of any of the dozens of kids drop-ins we frequent in the city. If you have pre-school aged kids Its a really nice place for them if you can understand and abide by the changing rules. Despite all the above I wish them well and you'll probably enjoy the place with your...

We love this place. We have been going since the week it opened and find ourselves spending a great afternoon there every other week. I honestly don’t know of anywhere as clean as this place. The owner keeps it spotless and can often be found wiping down areas, tidying toys, washing toys and setting up play areas. Everyone is always friendly from the owners to the customers. There’s a baby/infant area in the back with age appropriate toys and sensory games. At the front there’s a bouncy castle, a slide/ball pit/climbing structure, as well as a kitchen, a playhouse, a food truck and baby doll bath station for kids to use their imaginations and engage with each other or play independently. At the very back there is a snack area, coffee and tea and a kitchen where you can prepare your child’s snack and even a docking station for your phone. The washrooms are impeccably clean, both equipped with a change table. One washroom even has a child sized toilet for those who are potty training or have potty trained already. I really can’t say anything negative about the place. It has everything you could think of.

After reading through all the reviews, you can see why people love it. There are a few options in the neighbourhood and this one is really the top. But that is great because it encourages them all to step up their game and to continue to keep a clean and safe environment for kids to have fun. The fact there is a selection only serves a greater population and ensures each place continues to provide the best for our kids.

I would like to address one review as I find it very odd in nature. Dale, how would you know the owner cased out another play place? That’s quite an accusation and what proof do you have to back that up? You say you had only been two times. Either you’ve been stalking the owner or you are friends with the other place, hence the terrible reviews you’ve given every playcenter in the area except for that one you praise. It would serve a better purpose to write a glowing review of your (I’m assuming friends place) but not to unfairly bring down all the other business’ that are doing amazing jobs. Fabricating a story (it’s never had a no snacks brought in policy...not even since day one) is shameful, also the summer hours are clearly stated, loads of business’s do this. Let’s build the neighbourhood up through supporting our local community and business, not the opposite as you have been trying...