At a Glance
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Inspired by experiences during the Pandemic with her first baby, Rachel’s vision for a supportive, welcoming space for families was sparked.
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Building Canopy turned Rachel’s own challenges into a space that nurtures families and herself.
- Thoughtful, calming, and intentional design. The goal: a balance where both parents and children feel supported and welcome.
Let’s be honest: when you have littles ones, the park, while great, isn’t always enough. Any parent who has arrived at the playground when the big-kid energy takes over knows the calm is over and there is now a swirl of scooters, kids climbing over each other, and six-year-olds flying past your still-wobbly toddler.
This is not what led Rachel Beider to create Canopy, but it lives somewhere in the spirit of knowing that the younger years are special. Like many parents in the early years, she imagined something different: a place to gather, chill, and feel supported during drop-in playtime; classes designed for prenatal and postpartum parents; music and movement classes; and more.
Nestled between Williamsburg and Greenpoint, Beider has built more than a business; she’s created a community. Today, it’s a mainstay for neighborhood families and caregivers, offering exactly what so many parents are searching for in those early years: a warm, welcoming place to land, and a place they return to again and again.
Rachel shared the story of how it started.
One Play at a Time: Rachel Beider’s Canopy
Can you tell us a little about the moment when the idea for Canopy first took shape?
The idea for Canopy really began with a very personal experience. I gave birth to my first baby in New York City on March 24, 2020, right in the earliest days of the pandemic when the city was in full “shelter in place.” Overnight, there were no playgroups, no mom gatherings, no places to go with a baby. The normal ways that parents meet each other and find support totally disappeared.I was incredibly isolated with my newborn during that time, and I struggled with pretty severe postpartum depression and anxiety. Early parenthood is already such a vulnerable time, and suddenly there was no village.
When I was pregnant with my second baby, I kept thinking about how I wanted more activities for my children. More safe places to land. More spaces where my kids could feel welcomed, supported, and connected. Maybe Canopy was a little bit of an overreaction to having my first baby during Covid.. That said, I wanted to create the kind of space I was craving myself. Something beautiful, calm, warm, and genuinely helpful. A place where a baby could come for a class or open play, but where their parent or caregiver also felt seen. Canopy was born from that desire to create real support around families in a season of life that is so tender, transformative, and overwhelming all at once.
The word “Canopy” feels so intentional. How did the name come to you?
The name was incredibly important to me. I kept returning to the image of a canopy in nature. A canopy shelters what is underneath it, but it also creates space for life to grow. That felt exactly like what I wanted to build: a protective layer around families during one of the most tender seasons of life. The word has warmth in it, but also strength. It felt nurturing without feeling overly precious. When I said it out loud for the first time, I knew it was right.
The design of Canopy feels very thoughtful.
Thank you. I guess this is what happens when a massage therapist designs an indoor play space! The design mattered deeply to me because the environment shapes experience. I wanted Canopy to feel calming from the moment you walk in. So much of parenting in the early years can feel overstimulating, noisy, and chaotic. I wanted to create the opposite of that. Every detail is meant to support the feeling of exhalation, or a big hug. The space is soft, warm, intentional, and inviting. It is child-centered, but it does not feel visually chaotic. I wanted it to feel just as good for the adults as it does for the children. That balance was important to me: I wanted it to feel elevated, thoughtful, and restorative, even in the middle of daily family life.
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We speak a lot about community at New York Family. What has surprised you most about the community that’s formed around Canopy?
I built Canopy hoping it would become a real community hub, but watching friendships form there has been incredibly moving. New parents meeting each other in those early months. Caregivers coming back week after week. Families celebrating milestones together. There is something very powerful about realizing you are not the only one going through it. That kind of community changes people. It makes parenting feel lighter.
Parenthood can feel overwhelming in those early months. How do you hope parents feel when they spend time here?
I hope they feel held. That is probably the simplest way to say it. I hope they feel less alone, and like they can come as they are, whether they are rested and happy or exhausted and hanging on by a thread. Early parenthood is such a vulnerable time. I want parents to walk into The Canopy and feel a sense of relief. Like they can breathe a little deeper. Like someone thought about them too, not just their child. If they leave feeling more connected, more grounded, or even just a little more like themselves again, then we have done something meaningful.
Can you share a moment at Canopy that made you think, This is exactly why I built this?
There have been a lot of moments like that, but one that stays with me is watching a new parent come in looking tentative and unsure, and then over time seeing them become more relaxed, more confident, and more connected. Sometimes it is subtle. A conversation struck up during playtime. A parent exchanging numbers with someone they just met. A child lighting up because they feel safe enough to explore. Those moments matter so much to me because they capture the real purpose of Canopy. Yes, we offer classes and play and programming, but the deeper mission has always been about creating connection and support. When I see a parent feel less alone, I think, this is it. This is why I built it.
As a mother of two, how has running The Canopy changed your own experience of early parenthood?
My first experience as a new parent was shaped by isolation during the pandemic. Building The Canopy allowed me to take that experience and turn it into something that could support other families. In that way, building Canopy has been super healing for me. As a mother of two young children, I am living through the beauty, the challenges and the intensity of these early parenting years. The Canopy is, in many ways, my love letter to that season of life.
