Galoop Classes Founder Reflects on Success in Brookline

In January 2014 Isis Parenting suddenly announced it was closing, leaving many Boston-area families and expecting families scrambling to find the support they had come to depend on from Isis: parenting classes, child development classes, an indoor play space, parenting consults, sleep consults, and more.

A year later, former Isis instructor Cecilia Matson looks back on how this unexpected moment turned into a positive experience.

Matson had lived in Brookline for 15 years, and loved her community. She knew that there was a need in Brookline for programs for babies and young toddlers as well as support for parents.

“It was a very intense moment for me,” Matson says. “I felt very connected to the families I had worked with at Isis. Many parents reached out to me and asked that we stay together.”

Matson founded Galoop Classes in Coolidge Corner to continue her work offering child development classes to babies and toddlers 5-36 months. She spent a few weeks scouting locations, setting up a website, and giving herself a crash course in small business management.

“My training and experience is in child development, not business, of course!” says Matson. “So I had a lot to learn, and I had to learn it quickly.”

After many site visits, Matson found a great space in Coolidge Corner: the nursery of United Parish, at the corner of Harvard and Marion Streets. The room is filled with natural light and has everything babies and toddlers need: a changing table, foam mats, toy storage, a comfortable place for nursing, and enough room to have both circle time and a big messy project. There’s even an adjacent bathroom with a toilet the right height for toddlers.

“Once classes started at the end of February, I was so happy. Of course there were so many unknowns and so many risks in suddenly becoming a small businessperson. But when classes started and I was doing what I loved again, I saw that it was all worth it.”

Galoop’s first two sessions were such a success – most classes were filled to capacity – that Cecilia was approached by Magic Beans, a local baby supply and toy store, about offering Galoop classes in the play space of their Brookline store.

“It was such an honor to be approached by Magic Beans,” Matson says. “They are such a great resource to the community, with well-researched selections of baby gear as well as toys for all age groups.”

Looking back on the year, Matson reflects that what started as an unexpected experience turned into a very positive journey for her. “Although I could not possibly have imagined what 2014 would have been like, it turned out to be a year of tremendous growth for me. It was very rewarding to stay connected to families I had come to know through Isis, as well as create community with the people who became Galoop families.”