CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — Community members can now enjoy the first ever children's sensory room within a public library across the entire South Texas region.
On Thursday, dozens of people gathered at La Retama Central Library to celebrate the unveiling of the new addition, targeted to nurture children with special needs up to 14 years old.
Special guests included Mayor Paulette Guajardo, District 1 City Councilmember Everett Roy, Dr. Jennifer Scott, the chairperson of the Persons with Disabilities Committee with the City of Corpus Christi and Victoria Morales, the director of Community Outreach for Driscoll Health Plan.
“This is so important to the city of Corpus Christi," Mayor Guajardo said. "Beginning today, children, families, caregivers, therapists and teachers can access this sensory room at absolutely no cost. Our goal is to offer these families an enjoyable and therapeutic setting."
Laura Garcia, the Director of the Corpus Christi Public Libraries said they wanted to offer this opportunity so everyone in the community can feel included while enjoying the library and its resources.
“That’s what public libraries are all about," Garcia said. "A lot of the families that have children with special sensory needs, they usually cannot participate in normal activities with other children. Again, this is so critical and it's what public libraries are all about. We service our community.”
The nearly $86,000 room was funded through several grants from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and Friends of Corpus Christi Public Libraries.
“It’s going to open a whole new door and a whole new world for so many children and their families," resident Julie Rogers said.
Through the grant funding, the library was also able to provide a collection of sensory friendly reading material as well as Braille resources. Parents, caregivers and their children will be able to enjoy state-of-the-art therapeutic stations, interactive calming stations, an adjustable sound-activated light-up wall panel, and SensaSoft tumble play rollers.
Jada Reyes, a mother whose 5-year-old son has special needs, said having a resource like this at the public library allows her son to truly feel involved through his learning development.
“It makes me feel like there’s a place that I can take him to have fun and that he’s going to be safe at," Reyes said. "I think they’re doing a really good thing and I hope that other people follow.”
Reyes said she's been looking for more resources like this ever since her son was diagnosed several years ago. She said she plans on visiting the La Retama Central Library Sensory Room soon.
Starting in May, the library will host a monthly speaker series targeting caregivers raising children with sensory processing disorders. Topics include recognizing signs and symptoms, calming strategies and community resources.
There will also be a Sensory Friendly Story Time every Thursday at 10 a.m. for ages 0-5 and Sensory Friendly Arts and Crafts on the first and third Thursday of the month at 4:30 p.m. for ages 6-14.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
