Moms and Tots Connect at St. John's
Cooperative Playgroup
by Judy Silberstein
( December 17, 2002
) It’s 26 degrees outside, but a little cold won’t
keep the St. John’s Cooperative Playgroup indoors.
Also known as the “Tot Drop,” this is a
hardy group of two mothers and eight two-year olds,
and they belong to a hardy organization that has been
operating for more than twenty years out of a small
space down the hall from the St. John's nursery school
in the Larchmont Manor church.
Nancy Donovan, now in charge of Community Relations
at the Larchmont Library, brought the playgroup concept
with her when she moved to Larchmont from Arlington,
Virginia in 1978. Her son had enjoyed his playgroup
“down South” and she was looking for a similar
experience for her two-year old twin daughters.
“I got St. John’s church to agree to let
us start the group. They took down a wall to make a
room that was big enough. And the rest is history,”
she recalled.
The group still operates pretty much as it did in the
early days. The current members follow most of the traditions
set up by Donovan and her cohort of playgroup pioneers,
which have been “codified” recently in a
manual.
Two mothers stay with the eight children while the
other six parents are liberated for a few hours. Of
the “working” moms, “Mommy #1”
comes prepared with some sort of art project, while
“Mommy #2” brings the snack. In addition,
one member serves as the coordinator in charge of the
membership list and the schedule.
There have been a few changes. In the “olden”
days, much younger tots could join the group. Now entrance
is limited to children who turn two by December 31st.
“The 16-18 month olds were having a hard time
separating from parents,” said Sawyer.
Even with the age restrictions, the sixteen available
slots fill up fast for both the Monday-Wednesday and
Tuesday-Friday groups. That’s where the waiting
list comes in.
“Most people call and put their newborns on the
waiting list,” said Katie Sawyer, the current
coordinator. There are already twelve babies on the
list for the 2004 group, including her five month old.
She pointed out, “Priority does go to parishioners.
This year ten people who really wanted to do it didn’t
get in.”
At the moment, all the adult members are mothers, though
in the past the group has included dads, nannies and
other caregivers. “One of the purposes of the
group is for moms to get to know each other and to support
each other,” explained Sawyer. “We’ve
had a bunch of people new to Larchmont, and it was a
great way to get connected to the community. That was
a bonus.”
While the parents are connecting, the tots are too.
“My daughters are still friends with some of the
girls they met when they were two,” reported Donovan.
Since Katie and Margie Donovan are now twenty-four,
those must have been powerful connections made at the
St. John’s Playgroup back in 1980.
Today’s group could be seen forming similar ties.
“Line up and pick a partner,” called the
mother in charge of getting the children ready to go
outside.
“Oh, be my partner!” said one little girl
to another. The two marched out the door holding each
other’s mittened hands.
For more information about the St. John's Playgroup,
contact Katie Sawyer at 833-3326.
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