After the recent opening of a new Tot Center in Secaucus, stay-at-home moms as well as grandparents and guardians have found a new place to socialize and bring their toddlers to play and make friends.
The mayor and council officially opened the Tot Center for 3 and 4 year olds on Dec. 3 as a free place for parents and guardians to bring their toddlers to play. The space is located on the second floor of the Community Center on Front Street, which was converted from a basketball court into a toddler-friendly room with bouncy slides, toys, big wheels, and playhouses.
Kendal Garvin, local artist, painted large murals of safari animals such as lions, elephants, and egrets along the walls.
“You talk to parents while the kids play.” – Amira Rezeq
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“This is more of a place that moms, grandmas, and babysitters can take their kids for a nice warm environment for the winter [and] where kids can be occupied and have something fun to do,” said Mayor Michael Gonnelli. He said that he hoped some of the moms will organize a regular group.
Making friends at three
“He doesn’t want to go home,” said mom Haregua Temesgan about her 3-year-old son, Million Tedros, who sat at a tiny toddler table playing with alphabet letter cut-outs one January afternoon. She said her son Million is very quiet but has managed to make friends. “We like [coming here] together.”
“I wanted her to socialize with other kids,” said mom Jessica Sanchez about her 3-year-old daughter Natalie. She said that Natalie is an only child and it was important for her to get used to being around other children. Sanchez brought Natalie to the Tot Center at the time of its opening and continues to visit two to three times a week.
“She gets a workout,” said Sanchez. Her daughter Natalie was full of energy and ran from play station to play station. “The town needed something like this. It is good for kids [and] good for parents.”
“It is a very, very nice place,” said Meenakshi Sharma. She was visiting the Tot Center with her 3-year-old daughter Adwita. “[The kids] have freedom.” A stay-at-home mom and resident of two years, Sharma said that the parents also get to know each other. She said she visits almost daily.
“You meet new parents. You talk to parents while the kids play,” said Amira Rezeq. She said she visited the Tot Center mostly every day with her 3-year-old son Ziad Rezeq while her other two sons attended school. Ziad refers to the space as “the gym.”
“It is something to do in the winter to get out of the cold,” she said. “He loves it. I want him to interact with other kids…there is space to run…it is free…I love this!”
The big living room
Community Center staffer Karen Pero said that the Tot Center has been nicknamed “the big living room,” after she overheard one of the toddlers refer to it as that.
“I see a lot of little different personalities,” said Pero, who supervises the Tot Center. She said Tuesday and Thursday are the most popular days. She said up to 24 toddlers were at play on the first Thursday in January. “We have a great group coming.”
The Tot Center located at 145 Front St. is open to all parents, guardians, or babysitters for 3 to 4-year-olds Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times. For more information, contact: 201-330-2000.
Adriana Rambay Fernández may be reached at afernandez@hudsonreporter.com.