Daryl and Desh Bagley both have science degrees. In 2005, they came up with a concept of how to best apply computer technology to children while they are still young, and impress upon them to pursue it as a career.
That was the beginning of a new business called the Tech Play Zone, a science and tech center for kids, kindergarten through 8th grade.
“We want to concentrate on the S.T.E.M. concept (science, technology, engineering, and math), and we discovered if you wait until a child reaches high school, they won’t recognize how such fun it is because they are already into something else, especially the girls,” said Mrs. Bagley.
“My mentor, Ralph Smith (Computer Mentors), thought it would be great to include the software aspect of teaching computer skills to children and it’s really catching on.”
Mrs. Bagley said their summer camps and after school programs are really phenomenal and they have a vendor relationship with the school district.
“When we first started in 2005, Edison Elementary was our first school. Later we felt with our own facility, we could serve more kids. We’d like to have robotics summer camps at some of the schools this summer, targeting 4th and 5th graders.”
Mrs. Bagley said the Tech Play Zone is a very unique facility and a learning environment that’s also entertaining.
“We discovered that the kids get really fascinated with computer science technology and concepts. This also improves their attention span and level of concentration.
“We get great feedback from parents and even with the economy hurting, parents continue to invest for the future of their children.”
Mrs. Bagley said once the kids enter middle and high school, they’re ready for the advanced math and science courses.
“The kids aren’t intimidated by the course work they get in school, and this has improved them academically. I’m a mother of five and I can see the impact this has had on my children. They are Tech Play Zone benchmarks.”
The facility is located at 13208 Boyette Road in Riverview, Florida. Their number is (813) 453-8612.
