Inspira-Sponsored Kids Play Place Opens at Deptford Mall

Families visiting the Deptford Mall this summer have a new attraction to show their young children the next time they visit the food court: a custom "kids zone" play place.

Designed to help children burn off energy and give mom and dad a break, the $150,000, custom-made play area was built by the mall as a permanent amenity for preschool-aged children.

For the first year of its operation, the play area will be sponsored by Inspira Health; its CEO, Chet Kaletkowski, remarked that having a place for physical activity and social engagement is important developmentally for children. 

The play area was designed by Center Stage Productions of Fair Lawn, NJ, and central to its design elements are symbols of the township of Deptford, including a large hot air balloon sculpture that commemorates the first hot air balloon landing in the United States.

There is no fee to access the play zone, and it will be open during all mall hours.

Soft to the touch and coated in an antibacterial glaze, the structure is situated on top of carpet that has an extra three layers of padding beneath. There's stroller parking, squishy slides and interactive toys throughout the space.

Kids are supposed to remove their shoes to play, but in all the excitement of the opening ceremony, that instruction was skipped over Thursday.

"It's another amenity to lengthen a stay for customers," said Lori Anzivino, marketing manager for the Deptford Mall. "The closest malls that have this are King of Prussia and Hamilton."

Mike Mazzuca, a third-grade special education teacher and father of two girls, said that his children were having a great time.

Since the family lives around the corner from the mall, Mazzuca said, he could see them asking to return often.

After giving the equipment a thorough romp, 6-year-old Casi O'Connor said the new digs were "pretty awesome," and her mother, Pati, said that the activity is a good indoor alternative to the summer heat.