Angel in the North Carolina Nursery

By Marjorie Brickley

In September, Hurricane Helene traveled all the way to western North Carolina, bringing devastating rains, mud, and wind. In the immediate aftermath, Gabriel Guyton, the Co-Director of Emotionally Responsive Practice at Bank Street College of Education and a graduate of the Infancy Program, recognized the need for gathering spaces for families to find connection and emotional and physical safety.  

Drawing on her social work and developmental background, Gabriel, along with family and friends, transformed the living room into a child-friendly environment containing materials that allowed the children to play out their experiences - flashlights, water bottles, rain boots and more. Children played out themes of gas stations, money and cash registers, and babies going to sleep. They used materials to build, sang songs, and listened to stories. These play opportunities allowed children to work through their initial reactions to the scenes unfolding around them.

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The parents were able to gather and process their own feelings about the wreckage and lack of power, running water, and access to necessities. For some, this compounded previous traumatic or difficult experiences, while for others, this was the first time they had faced conditions like this. Being in community provided respite.

The playgroups continued until response teams were able to make their way to Asheville and take over the services for families. The playgroup first responders have continued to be in community through art workshops and meditation sessions designed to help them work through their own emotions, ensuring that the parallel process of emotionally responsive practice - caring for the carers as well as the families - is a priority as the people and the region heal.