Center for children ready for post-pandemic fun

By TAYLOR BROWN

tbrown@yourmvi.com

A Rostraver Township woman with a passion for learning, teaching and fun is excited about her first official summer in business. 

Jessica Mascara, a former teacher for the Canon-McMillan School District, quit her job in 2019 after spending a year at home with her newborn daughter, Mallory, knowing she could not leave her daughter to head back to the classroom.

Instead, she opened a business that would offer fun and educational events to children and teens, allowing her to give back to her community and continue making memories with her daughter on the clock. 

Live, Laugh, Play & Learn LLC was open for less than six months when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020.

The business offers a variety of activities for children and teens, including open hours for children to play and socialize, events like “Mommy and Me” classes and birthday parties, story times, tutoring for students in kindergarten through 12th grade run by state-certified teachers, writing workshops, art classes, music classes, SAT prep classes and a lot more.

The business re-opened in July, but that was at the height of COVID-19 cases in the area and months before vaccines were approved by the FDA. Families were hesitant to purchase tickets for events or bring their children to socialize with other kids. 

Now with the weather warming up, Mascara has a full calendar of events, both fun and educational, planned over the next few months. 

“We are really excited to see things pick back up,” she said. “This is the first real summer we have ever been in business, so there are a lot of fun things coming up.” 

A Mother’s Day event held earlier this month sold out, and a Spider-Man event this weekend is also expected to be busy. 

Last month, Mascara planned several birthday parties.

“It really has been hit or miss, but we are seeing things start to get busy, which is great,” she said. “We have never been open during the summer before, so we are playing this by ear.” 

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