Prana Play
Prana Play contains multitudes: a play place, a safe haven, a therapist’s office and a space to build community. Inspired by her daughter’s journey with autism, owner Kay Anderson wanted to build a place that would support children both with and without special needs.
Anderson never expected to have a business like this. When she was planning on having a third child, she was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer.
“I think when you’re faced with something that’s really life-changing like that, it changes who you are as a human. Instead of having a kiddo, we embarked on surgeries, chemo and radiation. In the middle of everything else, my youngest daughter, Victoria, got diagnosed at two years old with autism. It really changed my perspective on everything. I was shocked by the stigma and the lack of understanding,” she says.
“I got things from friends like ‘she’s aggressive’ and ‘she’s mean.’ The reality was that, at two, she didn’t have words yet, and that was really hard because she didn’t have her language to say ‘when you pull on my arm, it’s painful,’ or ‘when my legs dangle, I get sensations that are uncomfortable.’ So what do you do? You push back, because it’s your only form of communication,” Anderson explains.
At first, they thought she had a sensory processing disorder, but soon learned it was autism.
“So we can’t go as a family to spaces that most families can go to. We can’t go to restaurants because they’re too loud or bright. Her sister is only a year older than her, and I always felt guilty, like if I did one thing for one child, the other child was suffering. I wanted to create a space where it was for the entire family,” she says.
Anderson found that many places worked well for neurotypical children or neurodiverse children, but rarely both at once.
“One of the biggest stigmas is that people believe special-needs families have all special-needs kids, so pretty much everything caters to special needs. The reality is that most families have one special-needs kid, and the rest are neurotypical. I wanted something that spoke to the hearts of the whole family,” she says.
She wanted to have a place where parents could relax but still easily keep an eye on their children. It was also important to her to have things to entertain children of all backgrounds, neurodivergent or not.
“The vision was to create a sensory-friendly space where kids could play and parents can also access therapy. On one side of the business there’s play, and on the front side of the business there are therapy rooms. An occupational therapist or speech therapist can meet their clients here, use the equipment, and if there’s a sibling, instead of being stuck on a tablet, they get to actually play,” Anderson adds.
The play zone includes a jungle gym, a ‘tree nest,’ sensory stations and areas for children to explore their imaginations, like the miniature ‘ice cream shop’ and ‘vet clinic.’ If a child gets overwhelmed, there is a small ‘calm-down’ room that’s dark and quiet, with a camera inside so that caretakers can still see them. There are plenty of comfortable chairs for parents and guardians to rest while knowing their children are safe and having fun.
Prana Play offers monthly memberships, as well as play passes for the day. The space can be rented out for birthday parties and other special occasions. They host classes such as sensory studios, flow arts, movement classes and silk classes, and Anderson is hoping to have even more events available soon.
“We have partnered with an Olympic diving and gymnastics consultant, who specializes in brain and body and movement, and helping kids connect with their bodies,” she says.
Prana Play is a few months behind the schedule Anderson first imagined. The tornado in April 2024 took out an entire wall of the building and required a long time to rebuild. The setback “almost sunk” her. However, they opened in September and have been growing the business ever since.
“I started a nonprofit called Waves of Change Foundation for Neurodiversity. My goal for that is to spark systemic change, starting in Indianapolis: providing support for parents that isn’t just complaining, but productive discussions. Our high-level priority is around the whole family, especially sibling support. Oftentimes when you have a special-needs kid, they require more time and support. We want to create support for them in a meaningful way, so that they’re not feeling like they’re the caretaker,” she says.
The foundation’s other goal is to encourage other local businesses to be more inclusive.
“It doesn’t take money to have lights that don’t hum, or more soundproofing. The light bulbs here don’t buzz, but they’re the same price as the other ones that do. How do we help other communities and businesses do better at embracing those kids? These sound panels aren’t expensive. It requires an understanding and strategic thought,” she says. “To a neurotypical, we don’t hear the buzzing lights, but to my daughter, it’s unbearable.”
While Victoria is autistic, Anderson found out that she herself and her other daughter, Olivia, both have ADHD. They learned that neurodiversity often runs in families.
“It’s not bad, it’s not good, it’s just different. I’m glad that Victoria knows that she’s autistic. Exposure and talking about it matters so much. In our social skills classes, we bond all types of kids. The world is not very accepting and friendly right now. Unlike other things, such as anxiety, it tends to present pretty consistently. Every person experiences the world differently. If you know one autistic person, you only know one experience. That makes it more difficult for others to understand,” Anderson says.
As for the future, she hopes to continue developing the second floor of the business into a place where older neurodiverse people can find community.
“I fear when my kid becomes a teenager. I want, as the business grows, to provide a safe space for neurodiverse teenagers and adults. Maybe that’s a special-interest class, or a Pokemon tournament, or a gaming night. I want it not to be just about little kids, but to be a space that can grow with the whole family,” she says.
Prana Play is open seven days a week. It’s located at 1019 3rd Ave. SW in Carmel. To learn more about memberships, classes and other events at Prana Play, visit pranaplaycarmel.com or call 317-653-0444. For more information about the Waves of Change Foundation, visit wavesofchangefoundation.org.
