HelloBaby

Learning begins at birth.  Very young children learn through play, the active exploration of their environment, and through interactions with the significant adults in their lives.  By the time children turn three, they have already laid the foundation for life long learning and success.

HelloBaby is our nation's first independent free of charge drop-in play space for children from birth to three years old and their caregivers.  Just as a neighborhood without healthy food options is known as a food desert, HelloBaby is the change agent in an area rife with play deserts.

In our welcoming space, children can begin to discover and trust their inner voice, abilities, passions and joys. At HelloBaby, young children and their caregivers are given the opportunity to bond while promoting positive brain growth and development to learn in school and develop healthy healthy relationships through their lifespan.

Due to multiple social and economic factors, families in many Chicago neighborhoods don't have opportunities for safe, healthy play.  Parents and caregivers are stretched to the limit navigating the challenges of poverty.  Play centers, classes, and parenting groups are expensive and inaccessible.  Play lots and parks in under-resourced communities lack amenities and maintenance.  More importantly, due to neighborhood violence, many families do not feel safe taking their children to parks to play.  It is not unusual to find needles, bullets, to see drug deals or even shootings in come city parks.  An innocent family outing can easily turn deadly.

When children start behind, they tend to stay behind. In low-income neighborhoods, children start kindergarten 60% behind their peers from more affluent communities. Of the working age population in the Woodlawn neighborhood, 47% have less than a high-school diploma. Almost 25% of households are run by single mothers, which is higher than 98.6% of American neighborhoods. The median household income is $25,454 while the unemployment rate is 20-30%, 10 points higher than the rest of Chicago.  (www.neighborhoodscout.com).

The most important time for brain growth and development occurs between conception and the third year of life. Play is a child’s “work” and their way of learning about the world around them. Children from low-income communities regularly experience trauma which strongly impacts their ability to regulate emotions and respond appropriately to environmental stressors. Play helps children to work through and make sense of events that they see and experience, both positive and negative. Play is a child’s life narrative, a way to safely express themselves with the use of inanimate objects (cars, dolls, etc) without fear of getting into trouble.  Play further bonds caregiver to child. It is a time to be silly and to receive attention free from directives and demands of adults in a world that is often not child friendly. Play with a caregiver is time for positive interactions, collaboration and creativity.

The HelloBaby space was purposely designed to respond to the entire spectrum of young children’s need for play. Based on the pioneering work of child development specialist Bob Hughes, the space addresses the types of play that children need for healthy development, including social play, dramatic play and locomotor play.

HelloBaby is designed to:

• Spark healthy engagement between caregivers, children and staff and volunteers.
• Create a culture of joy that reinforces appropriate behavior.
• Develop the areas of the frontal lobes of the brain involved in cognitive function, social intelligence and goal-oriented behaviors.
• Facilitate social interaction and address the social isolation of young parents and caregivers.
• Build key language and social-emotional skills for kindergarten readiness.

In addition to facilitated open play, HelloBaby offers intentional and thoughtful weekly programming through our community partners who donate these services:

• VOCEL - Child Parent Engagement Class rooted in language development. 
• Play Smart Literacy - building language and relationships through play. 
• Yoga - teaching mindfulness and calming strategies to adults and children.
• Bubbles Academy/Whole Child Arts - using music to develop confidence, creativity, attention span and vocabulary.
• Laura's Library - children select a new, free book to take home each week.
• Health and Wellness Tuesdays.  Stretching and core workouts.  Fitness and nutrition tips.  Led by certified personal trainers and nutrition experts.