While their parents await flights, children can keep busy in the Basin PBS Children’s Lounge at Midland International Air & Space Port.
With representatives from Basin PBS, the Basin PBS board, Midland City Council members, Permian Resources and Midland ISD, a ribbon cutting — using caution tape — was held at the site across from the Southwest Airlines gates Tuesday. This is the first lounge of its kind in the nation, CEO/GM of Basin PBS Laura Wolf said.
Sponsored by Permian Resources and co-sponsored by Clear Channel, the lounge will provide a comfortable, safe space for families traveling through the airport with young children.
Comfortable seating, age-appropriate educational games, a free little library and a TV showing educational programming are also among the features available.
“It’s great. We’re very proud to be a part of this and to work with Basin PBS to contribute to MAF (the airport), to the kids and to the local Permian area,” said John Bell, executive vice president, general counsel, Permian Resources.
“We’re a young company with a lot of young families and we pride ourselves on investing in the community as it relates to education and trying to do similar things to what PBS does and supporting those causes is really what we stand for,” Bell added.
Wolf said finally getting the lounge in place was like a miracle.
“We are so happy it’s done and I can’t thank Permian Resources enough for sharing the vision and sharing it with us. I just think of the hundreds and thousands of kids that are going to come through here and be able to watch Daniel Tiger, to take a book … It’s a great day for Basin PBS,” Wolf said.
She added that the city of Midland has been terrific in giving them the lounge space.
Chuck Cooper, chief engineer for Basin PBS, said they would help maintain the lounge. They will sanitize every surface in the area, restock it with books, clean the iPads, make sure everything is functioning correctly with them and check the TV and make sure it’s working.
“The main idea is to keep it clean, keep it well stocked and make it a safe and productive area for children to spend time,” Cooper said.
The children can take the books on the plane with them.
“We do plan on additional enhancements at some time, maybe adding a few more apps to the iPads. Obviously, they have to be things that are … approved for children and within the age ranges that we cater to. In this case it’s all ages, so it will skew a little younger vs. older,” Cooper said.
MISD Director of Early Childhood Andrea Messick said the lounge is such a “neat resource” for families, especially since children are able to take a book for their flight.
“It will really allow our families to have access to more books and literature in their homes and on their flights as they travel to give their kiddos something other than just an iPad to focus on (during) their flight,” Messick said.
Justine Ruff, director of airports, said the lounge will be great for the passenger experience.
“Travel is a very stressful time so you have a way for them to de-stress before they get on the plane,” Ruff said.
