Maybe not now, but in a future where we have more square footage, if we had a dedicated, and always supervised children’s room with small tables and chairs, we could retain, and attract more members by: 1. allowing all members of the family to be creative on a project and 2. help with coordinating the question of ‘Who will care for my child if I go to work on my project at ASMBLY?’ There are many creative tools for child makers: Joel Patterson told me about www.chompshop.com
Over the past year, Asmbly has made remarkable progress in welcoming children to our shop.
Last year’s inaugural Maker Camp was a bold first step toward opening the space to young makers. Asmbly reserved a designated children’s area in the multipurpose room, where campers could try youth projects while members continued working in the shop. The camp was warmly received, but it also revealed areas for improvement, such as camper engagement. The education team took those lessons to heart, and Asmbly reorganized its staff to prepare for this year’s camp. (We also used a Chomp Saw this year! 
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The result was a noticeably more polished program, an impressive achievement for a shop that has served mostly adults throughout its history, and a testament to the education team’s dedication. Building on that success, they now host regular kid-friendly STEAM workshops through their Young Makers Club.
One of the best ways to help expand access for young makers, or to support any initiative at Asmbly, is to learn from the teams running these programs. They offer an honest, grounded view of what the shop should prioritize, and working with them has shaped my own sense of where Asmbly should head. By continuing to follow their lead, we’ll keep finding creative ways for children and families to engage safely and enthusiastically within our shared space.
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