A place for the whole family

For the love of a child, anything is possible.

Tracey Ibrahim learned that lesson when she created Gingerbread Lane, a care centre that provides a unique environment of fun and learning for the whole family.

The concept was formed in 2005 when her daughter was born. Ibrahim, a former child and youth worker, found that children’s play groups and early years centres weren’t meeting the needs of both herself and her child. 

“I had no idea how isolated I would be,” she said.

After taking some time off to focus on her own family, Ibrahim saw an opportunity to purchase a play centre and give it a new purpose. Going from a “daydream on a Friday to a business plan on the following Monday”, she created Gingerbread Lane. Since then, it’s become a major success story.

“The entire family is taken care of. It’s not just an indoor playground,” she says.

The centre provides a variety of programs and services for the entire family: after-school activities for children, workshops for new and expectant mothers and child minding services.

“I want families to come here and feel that it’s a safe environment,” Ibrahim explained. Parents can take a break in the facility’s café or stay in a quiet room while their children play in supervised activities tailored to their age.

“You can get the service you need for your child without being on a three-year wait list,” she explains.

Gingerbread Lane will celebrate Halloween with a festive party on this Friday, October 31 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., featuring games, pizza, activities and goodie bags for kids.  A toy drive challenge is also set to begin in November.

The business has proven such a success that Ibrahim also plans to expand the business in the future.

“If you do everything from your heart, it will all come together.”

Gingerbread Lane is located at 1107 Lorne Park Road. Visit www.gingerbreadlane.com or call 905-271-2900.