New center to focus on inclusion for kids of all abilities

Aug. 10, 2022 | Sarah Heinonen
sheinonen@thereminder.com

Meraki Children's Center and InfinityEd are located at 478 Main St., Hampden.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo

HAMPDEN – Meraki, pronounced, mer-ah-ki, is a Greek word that means, “to do something with one’s passion, effort, and heart; no matter how difficult or challenging it may be,” said Samantha Schwartz, owner of Meraki Children’s Center, 478 Main St., Hampden. More than the name of her business, meraki describes how Schwartz approaches working with children of different abilities.

Schwartz has had the idea for this business for a few years and said she worked with Score of Western Massachusetts, a small business mentorship and consulting business, to get the center off the ground. After earning a master’s degree concentrated in special education, with a specialization in autism spectrum disorders, Schwartz worked in public and private schools, and found there was a need for social-emotional learning that focused on blended groups of children with different abilities.

“There’s nothing offered in the area,” that caters to all abilities in an inclusive atmosphere, Schwartz said.

Social-Emotional Learning

The center focuses on attending to the social and emotional needs of children between the ages of 2 years 8 months to 8 years old. Schwartz said she plans to hire more staff within the year, at which point Meraki Children’s Center will be able to serve clients as young as 1 year old. Currently, she said, there is a waiting list of about 20 children in the 1 year to 2 years 8 months age range.

As the center’s website explains, social-emotional learning is accomplished through “exploring, learning, playing, and creating with peers through play, interactive activities, crafts, projects, and sensory experiences.”

The activities at Meraki Children’s Center is structured into supervised groups of free-play time, social skills and crafts and projects. The free-play groups can have up to six children at a time. The social skills and crafts and project groups, which are more hands on, will have a limit of four children. During the center’s soft opening in August, only free-play groups are scheduled.

Inclusivity

The main goal of Meraki Children’s Center is to promote inclusion of all children, no matter their abilities.

“They’re all kids,” Schwartz said, adding that the center will, “fully embrace them and make meaningful connections.”

Schwartz said that people have become aware of autism in the past decade, and acceptance is now the goal.

“I welcome any kid,” Schwartz said, noting some parents are hesitant to bring their children out in public due to behavioral disorders. She said families will be able to schedule walk-throughs of the facility to ensure the whole family is comfortable with the space. A questionnaire will also need to be completed during the registration process, so Schwartz knows the needs of the child.

“I’ll be as flexible and provide for the families’ needs as much as I can,” Schwartz said, adding that the objective is to provide a “welcoming, understanding and open-minded” space.

Meraki Children’s Center will make literature and educational material available for parents and community members and otherwise create an environment for family and community involvement, Schwartz said.

“I want to grow as a community,” Scwartz said. “Western Mass. really does have a lot of people in the community that agree creating an inclusive place for people with disabilities in important.”

Two-in-one

Meraki Children’s Center will be working in collaboration with InfinityEd, an educational business that provides tutoring, mentoring and test preparation for children and adults. The two businesses will be housed in the same building, but Schwartz said InfinityEd owner Varna Naik, “does the educational side and I’m more social-emotional learning.”

Schwartz chose the location in Hampden because it was formerly the home of Scantic River Childcare, and as such, had a fenced outdoor area and rooms designed for children. The location is also a short drive from East Longmeadow, Wilbraham, Longmeadow and Springfield. Aside from that, she said, “Hampden definitely seems welcoming.”

Schwartz has planned three open houses for interested families, on Aug. 10, Aug. 17 and Aug. 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

After Meraki Children’s Center’s grand opening in September, the business will be open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. The goal is to meet the needs of local families. “There’s lots of home schooling around here,” Schwartz said, and those families reached out to her with requests for services during the day. The morning hours will also allow children who are not yet in school full time to attend the center.

More information about Meraki Children’s Center can be found at https://meraki-childrens-center.square.site.

Share this: