Seesaw Center celebrates 10 years in Castle Shannon
In one corner of a spacious room at the Emmanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Castle Shannon, a 5-year-old is teaching my toddler to shoot hoops. Nearby, twins are tussling over a tractor and, across the room, a 2-year-old is frying up imaginary eggs.
This year, an invaluable resource for families living in the South Hills celebrates its tenth anniversary in its current location. The Seesaw Center is a nonprofit that serves infants through preschoolers and their caregivers by providing fortification against winter cabin fever and an opportunity for children and adults to make new friends.
From September until May, the Center offers an indoor space where parents of the very young can relax and entertain their children and themselves away from domestic hassles. The space contains a selection of toys designed to relieve the struggles of stay-at-home parents and caregivers. “Our main mission is to provide a place where parents can come to play with their kids away from the stresses of life,” says center coordinator Thelma Zanone.
The Seesaw Center was established in the early 1990s, when a South Hills mothers’ group grew too big to meet in its members’ living rooms. The moms decided to start a formal playspace that could accommodate a large number of children and their parents through the long winter months. In 2003, their first location—a Mt. Lebanon church—was demolished. But two years later, they reorganized in the basement of the Lutheran Church in Castle Shannon. The current cohort of parents includes caregivers who played at the Seesaw Center when they were children.
The Center, which can accommodate as many as 35 children at one time, is open six days a week and offers evening hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Its selection of toys includes climbing structures, several ride-in and ride-on cars, train sets, basketball hoops, building equipment, kitchens, dolls, dress-up equipment, musical instruments and, most popular, a rice table. Snacks are available for a $1 donation.
Members can reserve the location on Saturday afternoons for private parties. The Center also hosts events, like last Saturday’s opening party, where kids of all ages enjoyed having their faces painted, exploring a fire truck, a raffle, crafts, snacks and more. There are monthly art classes, afternoon openings for older children, Halloween and Christmas parties and plans are afoot to offer classes for parents.
Membership costs $75 per child for unlimited attendance and $50 for nights and weekends. Daily visits are $5 for each child. To use the venue for a birthday party, parents pay $100 for five to 15 children and $125 for 16 to 30.
Featured photo: The Seesaw Center, Photo courtesy of the Seesaw Center
