Stroll Magazine catches up with Sharon Amorosi, PhD, Spring Valley Resident since 2001, founder and manager of the long-time beloved neighborhood playgroup Little Graces.

Sharon: Small business owners are, by nature, optimistic and along with my long-time colleague, Suzette Winslow, we were certain we could find a way. What was most reassuring was the support we received from the many hundreds of families we have touched since opening in 2006. Prior to our pandemic closure, we had one of our strongest admissions seasons in recent years and so we were hopeful our friends and neighbors had not forgotten about us! 

Sharon: While safety protocols were certainly an added concern, we had plenty of examples to follow and our member families and my colleagues had strong feelings about the precautions they felt we needed to follow.  I am grateful to say that what we did worked and deciding to downsize was one perfect, if unintended, outcome.

Actually, our biggest challenge was -- and has always been -- finding the perfect space for our group. We knew we needed a bright, spacious neighborhood location that would be a happy place for our young families to gather each morning, so I was thrilled to be contacted by Rev. Kristen Hawley of St. David’s Episcopal Church about moving back into their charming space. This hidden gem of a church, located on leafy Macomb Street in nearby Kent, is where we started in 2006 and so we really felt we were returning home. An added bonus for us was the church’s revitalization enjoyed with the arrival of Rev. Hawley. This new, younger parish is now full of former playgroup families and so we felt an amazing sense of welcome and enthusiasm with our return.  

I think the second biggest challenge has been spreading the word of our return to the St. David’s location and our temporary name change.  This group has always relied on word of mouth for attracting new families: our former and current families act as neighborhood ambassadors. With a break in our programming, we worried we might struggle to spread the word, but we are pleased to report that our intentionally smaller groups are thriving.

Stroll: What positives, professionally and personally, have come out of this reimagining of the group? 

Sharon: First and foremost, our reopening brought me a new colleague, Brooke Barquin, who is an experienced educator, Spring Valley neighborhood friend and parent of two wonderful playgroup graduates. Her help as a teacher, parent liaison and admissions coordinator has brought new professionalism, ideas and energy to our group. 

Starting anew has also helped me clarify what we want for the group: improving what works, right-sizing things to create a more intimate feel, and focusing on people whose values are aligned with my own. I have always felt that children in our busy, DCDMV area need more time with their parents and so reopening with that goal in mind has resulted in a more cohesive, like-minded group of parents. We have just loved it. My gratitude for the ability to choose this course knowing I can count on the continued support of our playgroup families is immense and is one of the reasons I have loved living and working here for over two decades.

Sharon: We have recently launched a free community playdate program, intended to help our neighborhood’s working parents connect with their children and other young neighborhood parents connect on a weekend morning.  Offered once a semester, our inaugural event was so well-received—bringing in close to 60 participants—that we plan to offer another in December (stay tuned for more upcoming events at www.littlegracesplaygroup.com and on Instagram @LittlePlaygroup).

And as working mothers, my colleagues and I also understand the challenges of “juggling it all,” so we are bringing back our evening social events and Friday morning parent coffees for those working parents who are looking for ways to connect. Similarly, we recently launched a “parents only” group on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for those families who are looking for a more parent-focused playgroup. We hope that by catering to the variety of needs in our neighborhood we can continue to thrive and serve the special families who live here. The playgroup has certainly been a labor of love for me and a very special gift for my family.