Pictured: The warm and inviting play area at The Flock SRQ. Photo Courtesy of The Flock SRQ.

Pediatric chiropractor Dr. Jina Foltz first met Tatiana Fernandez and her young daughter, Penny, at a coffee shop. As other patrons worked and hung out in the quiet environment, Penny would squeal, a classic activity of babies the world over. Fernandez would become nervous because there wasn’t a place for her and Penny to go where she could be a child and there would be no awkwardness when she cried, a desire that Foltz saw reflected in her patients.

“Being a natal and postpartum chiropractor, we found that many moms in the office would come for their visits and vocalize that they were isolated and didn’t have anywhere to go with their small children. They would tell us that they were leaving the office and were going to shop and spend time at Target because they had nowhere else to go,” says Foltz. “We also found that they would stay and linger for an hour after their appointment because they wanted to not only talk to adults and create community with our other practice members, but they also wanted their children to play indoors in an air-conditioned environment. I knew and was feeling so bad that there was a whole community of people who didn’t have any place to go with their young children.”

Together, Foltz and Fernandez dreamed up The Flock SRQ, a where parents can come with their children and build relationships with other families. The Flock SRQ features a lounge with WiFi, a private nursing area and separate open play areas for 0-18 months and 2-4 year-olds. Patrons can enjoy retail products like coffee, kombucha on tap, healthy snacks and drinks, branded merchandise and assorted baby items like clothes and toys. “We have a big variety of classes that we offer for all age groups,” Fernandez adds, including daddy and me classes, baby massages, arts and crafts, books and bubbles, circle time, mommies in motion and more. We can be booked out for parties.” Families can become monthly members, drop in for open play, which has no time limit, or participate in a class. To learn specifics about programming and pricing, visit the website. 

“Female and male flamingos will lose their color after giving birth from depletion. With flamingos, it’s from nutritional depletion and sleep deprivation, and the same is true for our human parents. They’re depleted, isolated and completely drained,” says Foltz. “When we think of postpartum we think of a one-year-old, but that period lasts through their first 1,000 days of life, which are the most important time for parents and babies. We are helping families find their flock while keeping their pink.”

The Flock SRQ, 1977 Brother Geenen Way, Sarasota, 786-354-0695, theflocksrq.com.

Pictured: The warm and inviting play area at The Flock SRQ. Photo Courtesy of The Flock SRQ.

The Flock SRQ