Sawyer partners with hundreds of educators who are stars in their communities. From inspiring class content to engaging teaching styles, these educators are known for their enriching activities that empower both children and parents alike.

We got the opportunity to chat with Taylor Vecchio, the founder of Splat Lab, which blends STEAM, art, and wild imagination into hands-on activities and camps that help children learn and grow. We spoke about inspiring creativity, building community, and how Sawyer supports their growing programs.

Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! I’d love to hear a bit more about you and why you started your business.

I spent over 10 years as an after school director in NYC and loved finding vendors to bring exciting and innovative enrichment opportunities to our youth like vegan cooking, set design, and jazz history. At a certain point I realized I could be designing my own enrichment classes that were innovative and unique. 

I really knew what NYC kids would respond to when it came to enrichment and the unique challenges of making the classes exciting and fresh. I have a background in Anthropology and trained hundreds of youth workers how to run groups, create a sense of belonging, and make magic in the classroom so I figured it was time to create my own curriculum and program. I also have a Masters in teaching history and was used to having a large staff so all the ingredients were there.

‍Can you describe an inspiring moment you’ve had as an educator?  

Several educators who started with us at Splat Lab have gone on to be NYC public school art and history teachers. I’ve also run into young adults I knew from my programs who are now college students and they have rich lives with a ton of interests and passions they are pursuing. They always ask, “Miss Taylor, do you remember me?!”

What’s the most rewarding thing about teaching children?  

I learn a ton from them whether it’s facts about Egyptian pyramids or a better slime making technique. I also think engaging in play and creativity makes life rich and seeing things through a child’s eyes makes life more fun and exciting. 

‍What’s one time a child surprised you and made your day? 

I remember a kid named Max at PS 10 in Brooklyn who was in my after school anthropology class for the 6th time. We were learning something new about the Maori in New Zealand and he made a connection to the Aztec god Quezalcoatl and I realized he had learned that about 2 years ago the first time he took after school anthro and retained a huge amount of detail even though he was probably 6 or 7 years old when he was in that class. 

‍On a similar note, what’s the funniest thing a child has done in your class? 

A kid at PS 32 in Brooklyn told me I looked like a panda because I had a fondness for wearing black and white. I have to say this sparked a new obsession for me about pandas that is now an essential part of my personality.

‍Why is after school/extracurricular enrichment and camp so important for children?  

I love that enrichment gives kids an opportunity to be creative in a low stakes environment and also meet kids and make friends who are different ages and from different classes or even schools who they may not otherwise interact with. In Splat Lab building a sense of community, giving each other shout outs and compliments, sharing materials and being inspired by each other's projects is a huge part of our culture and why kids love being in Splat.

‍How do you think children can discover their passions when they’re not in school or your programs? 

Raw free play is so important for expression and in turn stress relief, problem solving skills, discovery, processing, and negotiating social skills. Creating worlds, rules, games, plays, booklets, stories, dialogue for your stuffies, these are all things that are so important for kids discovering who they are and can open up doors to figuring out what other new hobbies they might want to pursue. Also reading is one of life's greatest pleasures and I hope all kids have access to as many colorful, magical, exciting books that they can devour.

‍What is your favorite Sawyer feature? 

I’m a diehard calendar girl so I love to easily see what’s coming up and how many people are registered for our UWS and Brooklyn locations.

‍What's one trick you learned from another educator that you still practice? 

Everything I know I learned from other teachers I came into contact with and then just integrated their techniques into my own practice. Giving jobs is my number one flex. I love for kids to learn independence, pitch in to make the class run smoothly and have some agency. I especially love assigning a kid as a compliment catcher. They have to report compliments at the end of class like who helped clean up, who made a cool monster, etc.

Have you discovered new customers on the Sawyer Marketplace?  

Definitely! That’s one of the best features on Sawyer, we get a huge amount of customers who find us that way and then stick with us because their kids get obsessed with Splat Lab.

How do you balance your time between running your business (from an operational perspective) and teaching/connecting with parents and students? 

These days I'm primarily doing operational things but I always make sure to schedule myself for teaching to stay fresh and see how kids are enjoying our classes. I still create new projects all the time and love to drop in to a Splat Lab class to test out a new activity with kids and see how they respond to it. For example, I found these rainbow puff things that seemed very Splatty so I brought some to a class to see how kids would react and they made all kinds of cool creatures with them. We started calling them Rainbow Corn, which is so silly I love it.

How has Sawyer helped your business? 

I think one of the best things about Sawyer is that so many families already use it so when it comes to registering, they already are familiar with the platform and the process. It’s also helped us when we’ve had to work with some schools that don’t have an organized after school system but want to offer enrichment. We can always set up a Sawyer registration so the school doesn’t have to worry about that piece. That’s helped us grow and win more clients.

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