Every parent knows that it’s impossible to simultaneously work and take care of your little ones. That’s what inspired Tracy Leaman, owner of Events to a T and mother of two, to partner with Sospeso in the Atlas District to offer two-hour childcare packages at the café. “I wish I had it for myself for the last five and a half years since I had kids,” she says.
Dubbed the Village—as in what the popular proverb says it takes to raise a child—the events let parents to leave children ages five and under with a pair of nannies in the upstairs of the eatery, where tykes will have access to a variety of toys, arts and crafts projects, and books. Meanwhile, parents work in the downstairs area. To power their productivity, the deal includes a cup of Stumptown coffee and a scone.
For Sospeso’s co-owner, Hatice Rosato, who owns the café with her husband, Mike Rosato, the events offer a new way to creatively use their space. “Plus, we’re parents,” she says. “We know how it goes. I’ve been trying to work with my son at home for the last six months. It’s hard.”
The first session last week attracted eight parents, all mothers. The next session is this Friday, September 22, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. to coincide with DC Public Schools’ closure that day. It will be followed by sessions on September 27 and October 4, both 9-11 a.m. $25 for the first child; $12.50 for each additional child. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.
1344 H St. NE; 202-827-3123
Nevin Martell is a parenting, food, and travel writer whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, New York Times, Saveur, Men’s Journal, Fortune, Travel + Leisure, Runner’s World, and many other publications. He is author of eight books, including It’s So Good: 100 Real Food Recipes for Kids, Red Truck Bakery Cookbook: Gold-Standard Recipes from America’s Favorite Rural Bakery, and the small-press smash Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip. When he isn’t working, he loves spending time with his wife and their six-year-old son, who already runs faster than he does.
