Two Feet Off the Ground: The “Why” Behind the Tot Spot
By: Tristan Leonhard / Valpo Parks Director
A younger version of myself would walk by a park and only look at functionality. Turf maintenance, concrete pours, programming schedules, and equipment lifespans would race through my mind and add to a growing mental checklist.
Then, just a little over seven and a half years ago, my lens changed. As soon as she could move on her own, my daughter began to help me see a world of recreation that was only a couple feet off the ground.
Right as she turned a year old, COVID altered what our “normal” life was. Like a lot of other families with young kids back then, our world got really small, really fast. With our usual activities shut down or closed off, we turned to one of the only places that were safe and open, our local parks.
The outdoor trips became a staple of our routine. 200 East, or Dino Park as she called it, was a favorite of ours. Sometimes we would take a drive to the north side of the city for the swings at Bicentennial. But like any parent navigating a playground with a wobbly walking one year old, I quickly realized how big the world feels for them at that age. With playgrounds rated for two years old or higher, I often felt myself hovering or trying to spot her as her bravery outran her balance. There were many times when I wondered if I was making the right decision bringing her to a park that was a little bigger than her abilities.
When Valpo Parks started working on the idea of the new Tot Spot, the thought was simple. How do we create a space that helps the littlest members of our community learn, discover, and just be kids?
Designing a space specifically for early childhood learning is very different from a standard playground. It’s not just taking big equipment and making it smaller. The idea of the Tot Spot at Kirchhoff Park was about giving young children a chance to try things on their own, build early motor skills, and play in a space designed for where they are developmentally. Though I will say, when you see the small slide, it may be one of the cutest things you’ve ever seen.
The Tot Spot includes play panels that support sensory exploration, small features like the “Billy Goat Gruff” that encourage imaginative play, low-height mounds with small slides for exploration, and funserts on the ground where children can learn about animals and colors.
Of course, creating the space is only the first step. A playground is only equipment until the community brings it to life. As we started talking about the idea of the Tot Spot, we were quickly surrounded by organizations throughout the area who saw the same need. They wanted to see our youngest population grow and succeed. Organizations like First Things First Porter County, Kidworks LLC, and Valparaiso Community Schools didn’t just support the idea, they have helped shape how this space will actually serve the families that will use it each and every day.
When I walk through our Parks now with my daughter, I still think a lot about our countless mornings at Dino Park trying to tame the climbing wall. That’s the real “why” behind the Tot Spot. The work that Valpo Parks does will always come down to the everyday memories created in the spaces we provide.
Years from now, no one will remember the logistics or construction schedules, but parents will remember the first time their child climbed up, and then slid down, their first slide at the Tot Spot, a brand new park built for our community to support our kids right from the start.