Cheeky Monkeys officials opened their new location in Atascocita on Feb. 16, according to the business’ website

What they offer: Cheeky Monkeys is an indoor playground facility with soft play areas—such as slides, trampolines and ball pits—geared for children ages 10 months to 8 years, franchise owner Nisar Maknojia said. Amenities geared toward parents include free Wi-Fi and a cafe serving hot and cold beverages as well as treats.

Some context: The company has four other Greater Houston-area locations, including one each in Vintage Park, Sugar Land, The Woodlands and Richmond, according to the business' website. The venues accept walk-ins and are available to host birthday parties.

• Opened Feb. 16
• 4902 Atascocita Road, Ste. 600, Humble

There are several events taking place in the Lake Houston area this spring season including: 

‘Alice in Wonderland’: The Kingwood Ballet presents “Alice in Wonderland," a comical and colorful story ballet following Alice as she journeys through Wonderland with the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat.

• March 27-28, 7 p.m.; March 28-29, 1:30 p.m.
• $23-$40 (individual tickets)
• The Nathaniel Center, 804 Russell Palmer Road, Kingwood

• March 28, 8 a.m.-noon
• $30-$60 (prices increase after Feb. 22) 
• Lake Houston Family YMCA, 2420 W. Lake Houston Parkway, Kingwood

• March 28, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
• Free (admission)
• 8 N. Main St., Kingwood

Houston City Council approved the extension of the use of its current Records Management System, or RMS, for the Houston Police Department, a system that some council members say needs to be upgraded.

RMS is the system that the HPD uses for any and all data that the department has, including when officers take reports on the scene, when investigators pull information, crime statistics and analyses. 

Some context: The current RMS is antiquated, council member Abbie Kamin said, and she supports the extension, but would like to know when it will switch over to a newer, updated system.

“We continue to see additional extensions put on for large sums of money,” Kamin said during the meeting. “So a projection of how much longer we think this is going to take and how much this will cost ... the cost continues to grow, so having a full picture of what we’re looking at will be very helpful.”

Mayor John Whitmire said that the extension is to get the city through the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Lone Star College System will be opening applications later this spring for a new bachelor’s degree in education.

The big picture: The Bachelor of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education and Teaching will be available this fall at the LSC-Atascocita Center in northeast Houston and the LSC-Creekside Center in Tomball. Students can graduate from the two-year program as teachers certified in early childhood education-third grade or early childhood education-sixth grade.

What they're saying: “We want our local schools to be staffed by highly qualified, compassionate teachers who are prepared to meet their students’ unique learning needs,” said Rebecca Saiz, LSCS executive director of the Educator Preparation Program.

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• Houston City College launches workforce connection, reconnect programs
• University of Houston-Downtown to guarantee admission for Houston ISD graduates