City Squeakers is a female, teacher owned small business facilitating walk-in caregiver and me playgroups and early-childhood programming for young children in Pittsburgh.

City Squeakers utilizes a play-based philosophy, planning open-ended activities for children and providing a welcoming and supportive opportunity for the whole family to socialize.

City Squeakers prides itself on being affordable, inclusive and open to partnering with other organizations to provide a unique experience for families in our community. 

Since its first playgroup, City Squeakers has

  • hosted regularly scheduled, outdoor playgroups when the weather allows

  • planned indoor, Winter meetups at various kid-friendly locations around the City

  • facilitated regularly scheduled, intergenerational programs with local senior citizens

  • organized Spring and Summer break playgroups welcoming school-aged children

  • worked with other organizations to host camps, like Camp Songbird with You Be You, Inc.

  • secured sponsors so that several playgroup sessions were free to all

  • donated to local non-profits through large special events, like the Winter Celebration and collections for children’s books and clothes during playgroups

  • made 250 blankets for Project Linus after collecting fleece over the course of several months at playgroups and special events

  • welcomed guests such as educators, non-profits, early intervention specialists, volunteer organizations and yoga instructors

  • become a member of the Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative

  • been invited to several community events and festivals in the Greater Pittsburgh region to provide meaningful play for children

  • supported moms with “Mom’s Night Out” events and organized babysitter info swaps

  • expanded to afterschool sessions and infant and young toddler meetups

  • contracted with a nonprofit to lead Preschool Readiness classes

  • established “caregiver and me” style preschool programming

  • has been on the news, twice!

Created in July of 2022 as an idea for her neighborhood playground by owner, Lexi Schaefers.

Lexi, a certified teacher, frequented the playground with her infant and toddler and met grown ups of all kinds who wanted socialization and education for the young children in their care. The problem? Programs were expensive, rigid in their format, located too far from their city neighborhood, required long-term commitment or weren’t regularly scheduled and were almost always indoors at a time when folks were still feeling uneasy about indoor meetups.

Lexi used her early-childhood background to plan a few playground playgroups, made homemade flyers to advertise and posted them in her neighborhood.

10 families arrived on the first day.