For many of the children at Westerman Preschool and Family Center, this week marks something that hasn’t happened before: a field trip for everyone.
Students are visiting We Rock the Spectrum, an Ann Arbor indoor play space designed around sensory-based activity, with an emphasis on gross motor development, social and emotional learning, and support for neurodivergent children.
The visits are taking place across the week to accommodate all of Westerman’s classrooms.
Getting there required an unusual degree of coordination. Westerman is funded through Head Start, the Great Start Readiness Program, and Special Education for Early Childhood grants — without a traditional PTO to supplement programming. Rising admission and transportation costs have effectively shut the school out of community field trips in recent years.
The door opened through Westerman’s Parent Support Group, founded by Holly Toy, a paraprofessional with AAPS, and a staff member who started the parent resource committee, which has been working to surface local resources for families. Through conversations between Toy, program staff, and Robin Hall—owner of We Rock the Spectrum and an AAPS parent herself—a plan took shape. Hall connected the school to funding she had received through the DTE Foundation, and AAPS provided a transportation grant to cover busing.
“I’m excited just to see them all enjoying it,” said Toy, “like I knew they would, because there are so many different things for them all to do to fit their little personalities.”
The Parent Support Group isn’t stopping there. A Spring Stroll and Take event is also in the works, featuring a sensory-friendly “Feed the Need Sensory Zone,” free and specialized sensory haircuts from RonnieVCuts, and resources from Food Gatherers and other community organizations.
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