The city's new Community Accessibility Program opens Friday, Oct. 23, at Patch Reef Park, with a sensory room, open play and classes for all abilities.

Boca Raton is opening a recreation center built for children, teens and adults with disabilities and their families. The Community Accessibility Program, known as CAP, has a soft opening and ribbon cutting from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, at Patch Reef Park, 2000 Yamato Road.

Regular hours start the next day, Saturday, Oct. 24. CAP will be open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, the city’s CAP announcement says.

The city’s Recreation Services department runs it. Its program page calls CAP “a brand-new initiative dedicated to inclusive and adaptive recreation for children and families throughout our community.”

What is inside

The program is based in the Patch Reef Park clubhouse. The city’s exhibit page lists:

  • a giant Lite-Brite wall, 12 feet by 6 feet, where visitors push glowing pegs into a backlit grid
  • a Rigamajig building center with wooden planks, pulleys, wheels and rope
  • two magnet walls with pieces that can be swapped for new shapes and textures
  • a pneumatic air wall that moves balls and chimes through tubes
  • a multiball interactive wall with targets that appear on the wall
  • an interactive sensory pit for digging and building, with projections layered on top
  • a sensory room, which members can use at any time

The city said the exhibits stay the same from visit to visit while the materials and pieces rotate. The idea is a familiar space that still feels new.

A large backlit wall of small white lights with a few colored pegs pushed into it, standing in an empty room with a wood floor.
The giant Lite-Brite wall in the CAP clubhouse. Photo: City of Boca Raton, from its CAP exhibit page

Programs for every age

The city’s programs and classes page lists the first season, which runs through late December. Every listing says “All abilities welcome.”

Children

  • Open Play in the clubhouse, Tuesday through Saturday, with timed sessions for ages 3 to 5, 5 to 8 and 9 to 11
  • Knead to Play, a hands-on texture class for ages 3 to 5, Thursdays from Oct. 29
  • Fort Frenzy for ages 9 to 11, Saturdays from Oct. 24
  • Sensory Saturday for ages 6 to 9, the fourth Saturday of the month: Oct. 24, Nov. 28 and Dec. 26
  • Wall Brawl target games for ages 9 to 11, Nov. 14 and Dec. 12

Teens

  • Teen Takeover in the clubhouse for ages 12 to 15, Saturdays from Oct. 24
  • Mindful Makers, an art and mindfulness hour for ages 12 to 15, weekly from Oct. 30
  • Creators Workshop for ages 15 to 17, Thursdays from Oct. 29
  • a teen Fort Frenzy, Nov. 7 and Dec. 5

Adults

  • Dice, Decks and Dominoes, weekly from Oct. 27
  • Be a Piece of My Puzzle Club, weekly from Oct. 28
  • Disc Golf Club on the park trail, Thursdays from Oct. 29
  • Craft Club, Saturdays from Oct. 24

Open Play sessions are timed and attendance is capped. The city said this keeps the room low-stimulation and easy to explore. Parents must supervise their children, and there is a seating area for caregivers.

What it costs

Membership is free to apply for. Anyone with a diagnosed disability is eligible, the city said. Members get priority registration for programs and classes and access to the sensory room.

Per-visit prices from the city’s program page:

Visitor Open Play or Teen Takeover Drop-in class
Resident CAP member $5 $8
Resident nonmember $10 $16
Nonresident CAP member $15 $24
Nonresident nonmember $20 $32

An additional adult at a drop-in class pays $3. The puzzle club and disc golf club are free for members and cost $2 for resident nonmembers and $5 for nonresident nonmembers.

What it means for you

  • Go to the opening. The ribbon cutting runs 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23. The city said it will include a first look at the building, activity demonstrations from vendors and community resources.
  • Apply for membership first if someone in your family has a diagnosed disability. It is free and halves the price of most sessions for residents.
  • Tell the city what you need. The program page links a family needs and program interest survey for questions and suggestions.
  • Call ahead at 561-367-7034 with questions.

The city also plans a digital library of sensory maps and social scripts to help families navigate public places and events. CAP staff will set up tables at city events to explain what accommodations are available.

Our guides to free things to do in Boca Raton and kids activities list more of what goes on there, and the opening is on our things to do this month calendar.