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Meet Your Host
Meet Your Host
My name is Bekah Froehlich, and I am so happy you're here!
My name is Bekah Froehlich, and I am so happy you're here!
After graduating from Slippery Rock University in spring of 2024 with a B.S. in Early Childhood and Special Education, I began working as a full-time nanny for a family with a two-year old child. In that role, I fell in love with toddlers and the incredible exploration, curiosity, and learning that characterize this stage of development.
Since then, I have worked with children in a variety of settings, including nannying, substitute teaching, and community programs. These experiences have strengthened my belief that young children learn best through play, connection, and meaningful relationships.
I created Open Hearts as a way to bring those values into a community-centered space for toddlers and their caregivers.
The Open Hearts Vision
The Open Hearts Vision
Open Hearts was created from a simple belief: children thrive in community, and caregivers do. too.
Open Hearts was created from a simple belief: children thrive in community, and caregivers do. too.
While exploring toddler groups throughout the city, I found myself drawn to the joy, creativity, and connection they fostered. At the same time, I noticed many programs focused primarily on activities for the children, while caregivers often remained on the sidelines. I began wondering what it would look like to create a space that intentionally nurtured both.
At Open Hearts, toddlers are invited to explore through sensory play, process art, movement, and open-ended discovery. Caregivers are invited into moments of mindfulness, conversation, reflection, and connection with one another.
My hope is that each gathering feels less like a class and more like a community: a place where children can play freely, caregivers can exhale, and everyone can leave feeling a little more connected than when they arrived.
Community Philosophy
Community Philosophy
At Open Hearts, we believe that every child, caregiver, and family deserves to be welcomed with dignity, kindness, and respect. We believe community is strongest when everyone feels safe to belong.
We celebrate the many ways families are formed and the unique experiences each person brings to our community. Open Hearts welcomes families of all backgrounds, identities, abilities, structures, cultures, and beliefs.
Our goal is to create a space where children can explore freely, caregivers can show up authentically, and everyone feels a sense of belonging. We ask all participants to contribute to a culture of curiosity, compassion, and mutual respect.
Discrimination, harassment, or exclusion of any kind has no place in our community.
Questions? Reach out at:
Questions? Reach out at:
playwithopenhearts@gmail.com
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