Child Development Centre Sensory Room Update

Children are present in approximately 41% of reported spousal assaults. Children and youth exposed to domestic violence face increased risk of social, emotional, cognitive and behavioural difficulties, impaired brain development, and long-term mental health challenges including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress and suicidal ideation (Ilgen & Kleinberg, 2011). Exposure can intensify the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and raises the likelihood of later experiencing or perpetrating abuse (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007).

Discovery House is a non-profit organization serving families affected by domestic violence. Through our second-stage shelter, Community Housing Program and wrap-around supports, we provide a safe place for families to heal, reimagine and rebuild. Our Child Development Centre, Rosie's Place, is where children work and play with child development specialists through trauma-informed, sensory-focused therapeutic play that builds motor, emotional and social skills.

Our idea is to upgrade the sensory room at Rosie's Place, where children can calm, regulate, and feel safe while practicing the emotional and physical regulation skills that help mitigate the effects of ACEs. The upgrade includes:

• Hardwired aurora lighting: colourful, calming visual stimuli that create a relaxing atmosphere. 
• Darkening blinds: allow children to immerse fully in the room and focus inward, not on outside distractions.
• A bubble tube: one of the most effective tools in multi-sensory spaces. It engages several senses at once. Rising bubbles and shifting colours hold attention gently; the pump's low vibration travels through the acrylic column to anyone touching it, and the sound of bubbling water offers soothing auditory grounding. It is safe and non-startling.

• Together, these features create an immersive, predictable, and peaceful space where children who have lived through violence can learn to self-regulate, build coping skills and experience calm, supporting healthier development and long-term well-being.

Our project will benefit children, youth and families affected by domestic violence in Calgary, with a particular focus on young children aged 0-5. On average, 70% of Discovery House clients are children and youth.

The families we serve face intersecting barriers and identities. Last year, 39% of our clients identified as Indigenous, 33% identified as other racialized minorities, and 95% of families lived below the Alberta Low Income Threshold. For these families, access to trauma-informed therapeutic spaces is often out of reach, and having a safe place to calm and regulate can make a lasting difference.

The children who attend Rosie's Place, our Child Development Centre, will benefit most directly. Last year, Rosie's Place provided 1,258 hours of care through 699 visits from children. Every one of those visits is a chance for a child to practice emotional and physical regulation, and an upgraded sensory room will make each visit more effective.

With aurora lighting, darkening blinds and a bubble tube, the room will become a safe, immersive, predictable and peaceful space where children who have lived through violence can learn to self-regulate, build coping skills and experience calm. These skills support healthier development and long-term well-being, helping to reduce the impact of adverse childhood experiences.

Families benefit too. Children who learn to regulate and feel safe carry those skills home, supporting calmer, more stable family life as parents and caregivers rebuild after violence.