Bed-Stuy early childhood development center unveils new sensory gyms

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Children at the Bedford-Stuyvesant Early Childhood Development Center (BSECDC) are enjoying new sensory gyms that offer safe, play-based spaces designed to support their growth and development. The gyms are specifically tailored to meet the needs of children with developmental challenges.

“In a space like this, it would definitely help them with their physicality, gross motor skills, strength, and learning how to regulate their inner emotions,” said Nadeja Ross, educational director at the 813 Hancock Street location.

The facility is one of three newly established sensory gyms in the six BSECDC sites, which serve children aged 2 to 5. It includes equipment such as a rock-climbing wall, a zipline, bean bags, a rope tunnel bridge, and other sensory items.

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“We come in usually in small groups — two to three kids at a time,” said Ross. “We’ll sit down, and the three kids will pick what they want to start with. Each can go to their own space, and the teacher will walk around to supervise. Then, they can switch.”

Ross said that, through physical activity, the children have interacted positively with the gym equipment since the site opened last month.

“It’s a great opportunity to bring them to a space like this and have them exert some of that energy on the rock-climbing wall or in a push wall. [When they] get that energy out, they’re more able to sit down and focus on whatever the task is.”

In addition to encouraging physical recreation, the gym provides the children with a space for new sensory experiences and mental stimulation.

“They’re mostly surprised and a little bit confused as to what to do in this space, because it can be overwhelming to come in since there’s so many things that they want to try at once,” Ross said.

Many children use the gym when they are already overstimulated, so the gym staff also prioritize offering emotional support.

“What we want to do is make sure we honor the feelings that they have,” Ross said. “If they need more time, we’ll always allow them more time.”

Not only are the children smitten with the gym, but according to BSECDC Executive Director Angela Terry, parents are also pleased with it.

“The parents [are] excited to have the possibility of their child being inside of the gym and being able to have this room for them at a place that they attend every day,” Terry said.

Terry said the idea of creating a sensory gym first came to mind when she started as executive director in January 2023 and noticed there were many empty classrooms at the center. She wanted to turn them into something useful, especially considering that the enrollment rate took a hit following COVID-19.

“I thought, why not create these gyms that are going to help children in a therapeutic setting,” Terry said. “It’s really a bigger picture of how [we can] continue to support, what can we do differently, and [how we can] create that with the underutilized space.”

All three gyms were completed by October 2024, but before officially opening to the children, the staff underwent training to ensure proper use of the space.

While children enrolled at the center have priority, Terry said the staff would like to eventually open the gym to the broader community. “The ultimate goal will be to open it up on Saturdays so that those children receiving services can come in on a Saturday and have playtime with their parents.”

While sensory development is important for children everywhere, Terry and Ross both emphasized that the gyms are a much-needed resource for the Bed-Stuy community.

“I’ve worked in a lot of places, specifically in Upper Manhattan, and there are so many advantages,” Ross said. “There are so many gyms. There are so many places that those kids can go to learn how to use their bodies effectively and control their movements, but we don’t have a lot of that in Bed-Stuy, so I think that this is really important.”

Additional gyms are at 510 Quincy Street and 5 Quincy Street in Brooklyn.