Launched January 29, 2022, the new sensory lab creates a safe space for self-expression and brain building.   

Children who experience chronic childhood trauma have brains that are at times wired to always keep them safe, even when safety is not an issue, like at school. This automatic brain response can sometimes result in children expressing their fears and emotions in ways that are unsafe to themselves and others due to the brain being impacted by toxic stress. 

Childhood trauma and toxic stress also influence the way a child’s brain grows and can cause gaps in their social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Vogel launched this new tool to help the children at Vogel learn how to communicate their emotions as well as build and rebuild gaps in development. 

The facility was made possible through the generous financial support of Dallas-based Santander Consumer USA through a grant from the Santander Consumer USA Inc. Foundation. We thank them for their commitment to helping us rewire brains and repair hearts.  Vogel’s Behavior Intervention Team aims to use Action-Based Learning strategies to improve the health, wellness, and education of the children at Vogel through movement. When the body is in motion the brain is more receptive to learning.

Through climbing, jumping, swinging, and bouncing on specialized equipment, children are building the necessary brain structures needed to fill in those developmental gaps that can be caused by adverse childhood experiences like homelessness. The Sensory Lab is a safe and child-friendly environment where children can use their normal language of play to grow one of the most important organs in the body, the brain.