While their parents are enjoying an evening out, children can enjoy playing and cuddling with adoptable cats and dogs during a Valentine's Day Parents' Night Out to be held on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 10 and 11, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Brandywine Valley SPCA's West Chester campus.

A donation will be collected per child for the program, which is open to youngsters ages 5 to 12.

"We have a community engagement room where we have events. In there, the kids will make a craft; they will learn about animals and animal careers, watch an animal-related movie, play trivia and have a pizza party," explained Sara Smith, SPCA director of communications. "Then they will go the shelter and visit the animals, or the puppies and kittens will be brought over. They will get a little cuddle time with our adoptables and maybe make a valentine for a pet of their choice."

In addition to the West Chester campus, located at 1212 Phoenixville Pike, Parents' Night Out will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 10 at the SPCA's New Castle campus, 290 Churchmans Road, New Castle, Del.

Smith said that the event not only benefits the parents who can enjoy spending time together, but also helps the children learn about animals and how to care for them. "Any interaction that the kids can get with our adoptables is great. It's great for kids to learn even at a young age how to handle animals," Smith pointed out. "We may teach them how to give a puppy a bath or groom a kitty. They will learn all kinds of fun things."

Smith noted that the SPCA also offers a Critter Camp program for children ages 5 to 12. During camp, attendees learn about a variety of animal-related topics. The camp also features guest speakers and interactions with the shelter's pets.

"(Parents' Night Out) is just one of our kids' enrichment events," Smith noted. "We have our Critter Camp all summer long, which is a day camp for kids where they will learn everything from pet CPR and behavioral training to how to walk dogs."

Registration for summer Critter Camp, which runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., is currently underway. The first weekly session will be held from Monday, June 10, through Friday, June 14, at the West Chester campus.

To register for Parents' Night Out, visit https://secure.qgiv.com/for/2024parentsnightout. A link to register is also available at http://www.facebook.com/BrandywineSPCA and http://www.bvspca.org. More information about Critter Camp is available at https://secure.qgiv.com/for/2024crittercamp.