Old Haverford Meeting has recently established a comfortable children’s space in the main meeting room (pictured below) to encourage intergenerational worship.

Melinda Wenner Bradley writes on the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting website about the move toward adding welcoming children’s areas, noting that these spaces are “part of a growing conversation about how we welcome children and their parents/caregivers in Quaker community.” Though concerns are sometimes raised “about children’s capacity for stillness and silence,” Wenner Bradley adds, “one response is to acknowledge that yes, their integration with the worshiping body will require both setting expectations and providing preparation. Another response is that the challenges of stillness and silence can be true for both children and adults.”

Wenner Bradley also notes the importance of sending a strong signal to newcomers that “Children are welcome here!”

Old Haverford’s new children’s space, also known as “the cozy corner,” includes books, craft activities, pencils and paper, and some soft animal friends who have no problem with staying silent.