The Children’s Room in Arlington, MA Celebrates Its 30th Anniversary

The Children’s Room honors its legacy of thirty years building community and fostering hope for children and families navigating grief

It’s not easy for anyone to navigate grief and loss, but it can be especially devastating when a young person experiences the death of a parent or other family member they care deeply about. In 1993, a group of caregivers noticed a gap in support for grieving children and teens and founded The Children’s Room to address it. They got training from the Dougy Center in Portland, Oregon, which has a similar program. These support services are offered free of charge.

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Humble Beginnings

The Children’s Room got its name because it originally started out as a single room at Hospice West in Waltham, Massachusetts. According to The Children’s Room website, the founders wanted a single, dedicated space where children and teens could grieve openly. Such a place was not readily available in the area at the time. In 1995, The Children’s Room received non-profit status. A few years later, in 1999, the organization’s services moved to the basement of a nearby church. As clientele and services expanded, it was necessary to move into a bigger space. So, in 2004, it moved into its current and permanent location in its Victorian home in Arlington, Massachusetts. In 2013, as needs and services grew again, the building was renovated and expanded to allow for broader programming and outreach.

Growth in Community Outreach at The Children’s Room

When The Children’s Room moved into the church basement in 1999, the program consisted of eight volunteers and seven families. Now, the Children’s Room is the largest regional child bereavement organization, providing services to 4,000 children, teens and families, both at the center and through school and other community partnerships. They emphasize peer connection, creative expression, shared experiences and education in their grief support services. The Children’s Room also offers training for professionals in a variety of fields, including schools, medical centers and other community organizations seeking to support “grieving children, teens, and families to understand and cope with death and loss.” The training is available in a number of formats, both in-person and virtual. These take the form of consultations, workshops and in-service training.

Grief-Inclusive Language Project

The Children’s Room is working towards changing the language used to discuss bereavement. Most importantly, they want to emphasize that grief is a normal response to loss, not a condition that needs to be “treated.” 

According to Jon Gay, The Children’s Room’s executive director, “We try not to medicalize grief, and we don’t treat grief because it’s a normal reaction,” he said in an article in Your Arlington on the anniversary. “We try not to use language like ‘loved ones’ because all relationships are complicated and different. We really are trying to change the narrative.” In addition to working to move away from medicalized language around grief, the organization is hoping to honor more diverse identities (LGBTQIA+, POC, etc.) and family structures, including honoring chosen family, through the grief-inclusive language project. The guide is available as a PDF downloaded from the website.

​30th Anniversary Celebration Events

As the organization expands and its projects broaden, members are also recognizing the culmination of the nonprofit’s work so far by hosting a 30th anniversary celebration. The main event is the  Children’s Room Community Walk on Sept. 27, 2026. The walk will begin at Town Hall and welcomes anyone past or present that is connected with the organization. The Children’s Room is also doing a storytelling project on its Substack called 30 Years, 30 Stories, highlighting prior and current participants in its programming.

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