Galoop in Chestnut Hill is one of our children’s favorite activities. Not only because their time is happily spent going from a grocery cart with a baby doll, to an art station with an easel to paint, to a sensory table, and then to play at the kitchen making soup, but because Cecilia is present.
Cecilia Matson brings an incomparable warmth, energy, and focus to her teaching, which is now offering an expanded morning program (read: no rushing:) in a well-appointed (read: clean:), and first floor space (read: no stairs:). It is also T accessible, which gives us a train adventure.
Cecilia cares deeply about each and every child and caregiver in her classes; and her positive energy is contagious. Cecilia is a bright light in parenting, offering valuable support so you can grow right alongside your growing children. Thank you, Cecilia!

Galoop, located in Brookline/Newton border, is a home away from home for my two granddaughters. The light-filled space is simply amazing and the rotating set of high-quality material and arts and crafts keeps them engaged. But more than anything what I love about the program is the community and environment that Cecilia has built. For me it’s a place where I feel at ease. For my granddaughters, it’s a place where they can be independent and comfortable exploring their own limits: there’s no anxiety here 🙂 The space is familiar to them, they both simply love Cecilia and the afternoon teachers, and all the children and caregivers are familiar faces to them. We feel so fortunate to be part of Galoop!

My 2 years old daughter has always enjoyed going to Galoop, but now with the new morning program the joy is bigger - for her and for me! I have met moms, grannies, dads and nannies that are so nice and sharing conversations with them about parenting is fun and fruitful. The routines and preschool-like environment are great for the kids and the parenting advice weekly received by Cecilia is super helpful. Both my husband and I attended a new baby arrival workshop and that was also great. We received very valuable advice and just after taking that course we sleep trained our 2 years old successfully. As an international and multilingual family is really great to be part of Galoop's community and we are so grateful to Cecilia and her team.

My daughter and I have been happily attending Cecilia's classes for over two years, but the new space has truly made going to Galoop the highlight of our week. It is everything that the hour- long classes used to offer but so much more: a bigger space; more time to play and connect with friends; more crafts and activities; and a gorgeous outdoor play area. Cecilia has achieved the rare balance of providing the warmth, structure and consistency that toddlers thrive on, but also enough new crafts, activities, and discussion topics each week to keep things varied and interesting.

Having worked with Cecilia Matson for over a decade at the Brazelton Institute at Boston Children’s Hospital in her roles as clinician, teacher and researcher, I can say that she truly appreciates and understands the emotional and learning needs of young children and how to support their growth and development.  Moreover, her approach to working with parents shows the same inclusiveness, the same respect and the same non-judgmental and supportive stance. She appreciates the full range of individual differences in children, their different temperaments and learning styles, their unique cultural world view, their values and their strengths

Having known Cecilia since 1996 when she was a graduate student and my advisee at Tufts University’s Child Development Department, I have long recognized her unique talents. Cecilia employs a distinctive, comprehensive perspective that elucidates child rearing and education of young children in a cultural context. Her practice at Galoop exemplifies that perspective enriched by her knowledge and sensitivity - indispensable to understanding families’ diverse values and guiding them to foster the optimal development of their children. Thank you, Cecilia, for your contribution to our discipline and your accomplishments in support of children and their parents

To say my daughter and I "look forward" to our weekly class with Cecilia is a major understatement! When we enrolled in our first class with Cecilia I realized the difference it makes when you have an exceptional instructor teaching your child and the benefits it has for both the child and caregiver. Cecilia is warm, intelligent, professional and most importantly, fun! Her lesson plans always provide a variety of exciting ways for the children to learn and explore the world around them - including song, sensory play, and interaction with peers. The class continues at home as my daughter loves to sing the songs we learn from Cecilia or read stories Cecilia reads to the group. Overall, a wonderful class with a truly special instructor. We will eagerly look forward to many more Cecilia's classes!!!

I met Cecilia in 1999 at the Brazelton Institute at Boston Children’s Hospital where she was a research associate and trainer on the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS). Cecilia’s love for babies and their families, her calm demeanor, kindness and ability to put parents immediately at ease were a pleasure to watch at work. Combined with her knowledge on child development, Cecilia was a great resource for all of us. It is no surprise to me to see her success at Galoop and to witness the high quality of care and level of creativity offered in her classes. I would highly recommend all families of little ones to join Cecilia at Galoop where they will find expert parenting support, community building, and high quality developmentally appropriate experiences for their child

Galoop is a place where my daughter and I both feel supported and comfortable … and both of us have a lot of fun! It has also been incredibly valuable for me to talk with Cecilia each week about parenting. Whether my questions are about sleep, food, motor development, or behaviors, Cecilia always either reassures me or finds a solution that works for us.

I've known Cecilia for over 3 years, I took classes with her with my first and then again as a second time mom. There are many options for music classes or storytimes, but nothing like Cecilia's program. I really can't say enough good things about her, she is truly amazing, kind, energetic, friendly, professional, and you can just tell that she genuinely loves what she does. She's a great teacher/facilitator and her classes have the perfect amount of structure while still feeling very relaxed. She always plans lots of fun age appropriate activities (songs, homemade playdough, paint, sensory table activities, water play, books, bubbles, and much more) and has helpful advice to share for any parenting or developmental issues/concerns. I really look forward to taking my daughters to her class every week!

Cecilia is wonderful! She is such kind and nurturing person and her enthusiasm engages my daughter every week. In addition to creating a stimulating class for the children, she brings a wealth of experience to assist the parents. I’ve been able to talk to her about different stages of my daughter’s development and she’s given me great advice. Cecilia is truly one of the best!

I was immediately drawn to Cecilia's warm, encouraging manner and her ability to converse with young children. Motherhood was a tough transition for me and Cecilia's class offers reassuring advice and inspires us with great activities to try at home. Coming to Galoop is the high point in our week.

My little son and I first met Cecilia when he was 5 months old, right after we moved from abroad and found ourselves alone in this new city. We joined Galoop to meet other Moms and babies and we loved it! Ante is always so happy during class, he loves the parachute and the storytelling, and I get wonderful advice from Cecilia.  I would recommend Galoop to Mommies and their little ones with all my heart! Thank you, Cecilia, for being the highlight of our week!

Cecilia's classes are always relaxed, fun and engaging.  She not only has wonderful activities for the children to do but she is a loving and nurturing presence in class. There is no better critic than my 2 year old son and he loves his time at Galoop!

Galoop classes are fun for both caregivers and kids alike!  It is SO clear that my daughter feels confident and comfortable exploring and learning, and as a parent, there is little better than that!

My son and I love taking Cecilia's classes. She is very warm and nurturing and makes it a priority to listen to individual concerns. She is also great at engaging the children's attention and they respond with interest.

Cecilia's combination of knowledge, wisdom, and kindness provide for a wonderful mix of skills to help guide parents through their children's exciting but sometimes stressful early years.