Toddlers Galore!

When I first came to Seattle Unity about four and a half years ago, the nursery/toddler room was actually scary. Among other things it was in the farthermost distant room in the whole church, downstairs in the basement and down a winding hallway. It was dismal and dreary. Most parents were uncomfortable leaving their little ones in this space. Consequently we had almost no children under the age of four.

 

I’m not sure how the room was used before but it had strange lights—globes that hung down from the pitched ceiling. They looked alien.  Because it was difficult to open the globes to get to them, the burnt-out light bulbs took a while to change so the room was often dark.

 

In addition, a plastic house stood in one corner. It was a constant source of challenges for the caregivers. Little ones would get stuck inside and the childcare person would have to bend over to climb in to rescue her.  The ones who could would climb on the top, putting them in danger of a four-foot fall and injury. Too often someone’s fingers got pinched in the door.

 

There was an unused crib in another corner taking up floor space.  Conflict and tears erupted because there were too few toys to share.

 

One of the first things I did when I began to work at Seattle Unity as the Director of Youth and Family Ministries was renovate this room.

 

I decided on an underwater theme. I went to the local hardware store and checked out the “oops” paint—cans returned because the color wasn’t right. I found a beautiful sky blue and a perfect shade of aqua.  

I drew a wavy line about five feet up on the walls around the room and began painting. Below the line was the water—above, the sky.

 

Three awesome men joined me: my husband Paul; Scott, a very special man who was on the church board and Don, another special guy who is always available to help around the church. Together we transformed the room.  It took us two days to cover the walls and the ceiling in their new colors.

 

I painted a large whale and two diving dolphins. Along the floor, I added a scene with seaweed, sea horses, crabs, seashells and small fish using rubber stamps.

 

We got rid of the plastic house and the crib and added a step-up changing table (money donated by congregants). We added more age-appropriate toys—multiples so more than one child could talk on the phone or push a truck at the same time. Much of the shopping was done at the local second-hand stores where we found great bargains, cleaned them up and put them on the shelves for the children. 

 

Next we hired an electrician to replace the strange lights and install simple white glass fixtures flush to the ceiling. They brightened the space. Scott purchased and installed a rheostat so we could turn the lights down when needed.

 

Energy for our upgrade was contagious. Two people donated rocking chairs. More toys and board books arrived. Larger items were donated: a bouncy toy with noise-making manipulatives, a wagon for large Legos, fish art for the walls, fish rugs for the floor, cozy floor pillows and push toys for the early walkers.

 

Over the last couple of years, we have seen a dramatic change.  Our baby and toddler population has increased and the room has become a well-loved and cheery space where our little people like to play.

 

When parents walk in for the first time, they ooh and ahh. “What a nice room” they say.

 

Fortunately, we a very blessed with excellent caregivers so our families are happy with the experience their young children have while they enjoy the adult service.

 

This has been a powerful demonstration of “You build it, they will come”.