At Mendo LEAP, we believe that every child deserves the chance to play, regardless of age, size, or ability. Our mission is to provide families, specialists, and social workers with a clean, safe, and unique space to promote growth-through-play. Our goal is to serve as an outlet for all those who care for or work with children through access to our therapeutic and educational play equipment to achieve their objectives.

We hold the belief that play is a fundamental aspect of growth and development. Every child possesses the right to play, and we recognize that when we cater to their developmental requirements in an inclusion focused center with shared resources, we create an environment that empowers caregivers, nurtures students, fosters professional fulfillment, and enriches the family and community as a whole.

Mendo LEAP aims to empower parents and carers to ensure they thrive in Mendocino County. Our initiative targets caregivers struggling with connection, challenging behaviors, diagnoses, isolation, and overwhelm. We provide equipment, tools, support groups, local guest speakers, and encouragement to instill confidence and skills in caregivers, enabling them to thrive while caring for their children. Most of all we provide a place of belonging and acceptance.

Our focus on play is strategic, as it's essential for the child's development. We provide a nurturing environment where children of all shapes, sizes, and developmental stages can thrive. Children affected by various diagnoses or struggling to fit in can unleash their potential with access to specialized equipment, our library of therapeutic resources, group classes, and a safe, clean place to play. We foster a climate-controlled environment where children can work through adverse childhood experiences and blossom into future leaders of the community.

Mendo LEAP empowers professionals and specialists working with children in the community. We provide developmentally stimulating, inclusive, and educational play environments where they can come together and share resources. Our facility offers private offices, conference rooms, reception check-in/out, and equipment tailored to their unique needs. With our support, we attract professionals and specialists who can pursue their objectives and passions in serving the children of Mendocino County.

Enriching our community is at the core of our mission. By accommodating the unique needs of specialists and agencies, we attract more practitioners to the area, easing the demand on existing practices. We free up funding for agencies by providing equipment and facilities, enabling them to better impact the community with their talents and missions. Families empowered by our resources can improve the educational system, while our easy access to resources can enhance the physical and mental healthcare system. Overall, we believe that our facility's resources and support will have a ripple effect across the County, easing burdens, encouraging collaboration, fostering growth, and stimulating development.

The “It Takes A Village” Initiative was birthed by Mendo LEAP founder Megan Peterson.

Megan was 9 month pregnant with their second child when the infamous Covid Shut Down happened in 2020.

Covid brought a traumatizing uncertainty of the birth experience. Being told that they would take her baby away if she tested positive to this new and unknown sickness at birth. Being told she may have to birth alone without her support system. Unsure where she would be allowed to give birth.

The Shut Down happened on March 15th of 2020 and she gave birth on March 25th of 2020 at 41 weeks. With the traumatic birth of her baby whose shoulder got stuck coming out and was born gray and not breathing for what seemed like eternity. And the added reality of the inability for her support system to come by her side during the crucial newborn months. And the cherry on the cake being the denial of work for their family mobile welding business because of the covid shut down.

• She sow their savings they worked so hard for dwindle with what turned into 4 months of no income and over a year of drastically reduced income.

• The uncertainty of weather they would lose their home they had worked so hard for. That they had used when serving the community as foster parents many years before.

• Then the stress of deciding that they would start working again (welding) weather being “allowed” to or not by the “powers to be.” (As hard working, law abiding local small business owners, this was an extremely difficult decision to ponder.)

• The fear mongering in the media.

• The loneliness and postpartum mental health struggles.

• The PTSD (from ACE’s) that was suddenly triggered by child rearing that knocked her backwards in unexpected and paralyzing ways.

• The denial of “services” because of their “income” that was based off 2019 numbers.

• All the local gathering places for children and families shut down

All these things added to what turned into severe postpartum anxiety, depression and C-PTSD. Then the inability to find or afford quality local care for that postpartum anxiety, depression and C-PTSD.

• The fear of reaching out for help.

• The denial and discrimination when she did reach out.

• The unavailability of quality health care.

• The confusing journey navigating insurance.

• The social stigma of mental health struggles and the added stigma of post partum mental health struggles.

Megan was left feeling paralyzed. Her faith, resilience and love for her children led her to no let rejection or stigma’s determine her or her family’s future. She vowed to do whatever she could to:

• end the stigma on postpartum mental health struggles.

• raise awareness of Complex-PTSD from ACE’s (Adverse Childhood Experiences)

• contribute to strengthening the communities support of parents and caregivers to end the effects of ACE’s on the children of the community.

• and finally to not let rejection stop her from contributing to her family’s future.

She wrote the Mendo LEAP business plan around the “It Takes A Village” Initiative and set to work determined to enrich the lives of families in our community.