The People
Behind the Beat
Trap Baby & Me didn't start in a boardroom. It started with one mom, one baby, and a beat that felt like home. What began as a search for something outside the nursery rhyme bubble turned into something bigger: a whole community of families who believe growing up can sound like real life, not just lullabies.
Behind every class is a team who pours real care into every little face in the room.
The Science Behind the Beat
Music and movement activate multiple areas of a young brain at once- the parts responsible for language, motor skills, memory, and emotional regulation. When a toddler claps on rhythm or mimics a movement, they're not just playing, they're building neural pathways that support coordination, communication, and focus for years to come. Early exposure to
music has long been linked to stronger language development and social-emotional skills, and the relationships formed in a shared class setting reinforce all of it.
That's the whole idea behind Trap Baby & Me: development backed by the science of childhood development, delivered through the music your family already loves.
Learn more about the Trap and Embrace the Noise!
Our Story
How It Started
After having her first child, Marley (the boyest boy who ever boyed), Dr. Celina went to class after class looking for a way to bond and grow with her son. She spent months in mommy and me classes, but something was always missing.
As a professor, she understood the research behind early learning, how much of a child's cognitive and social foundation gets built in those first few years. She knew the development of babies and toddlers happens through structured, intentional play.
But the classes she found were all so cookie cutter. The same songs, the same movements, the same everything. And none of it reflected the music of the life her son actually lived at home.
Outside of daycares and boxed-in programs, his world sounded more like a radio: Hip-Hop, R&B, Gospel, Trap, Reggaeton, Afrobeats. In these classes, it sounded like none of that, and it made her feel like they were missing a piece of his real life.
Dr. C saw an opportunity to build a space where kids like Marley could get hands-on with real instruments, not just listening, but playing. Banging on a drum to build coordination and rhythm. Working a recorder to build breath control and fine motor skills. Every instrument asks a young brain to listen, react, and adjust, building focus and discipline before a child can even tie their shoes.
"I looked for classes and events that blended these things, but couldn't find exactly "it". So, I decided to do something about it... Trap Baby & Me was born."
Why We're Here
What We Believe
To connect with kids and parents, infusing the vibrancy of culture and sound through early childhood development.
-
Growth — We're committed to continuous improvement, for the children we serve, our team, and our business alike. As the needs of our families evolve, so do we.
-
Limitless Horizons — Exposure to different cultures and sounds broadens perspective. We want every child and parent who walks through our doors to leave a little more curious than they came in.
-
Detail Oriented — The early years matter too much to wing it. Every class, every song, every moment is thoughtfully curated.
-
Positivity — Joy isn't a bonus, it's the atmosphere. Our classes are built to be encouraging, uplifting, and genuinely fun.
-
Unequivocal Excellence — From the music we choose to the way we run a class, we hold ourselves to a standard worth showing up for.
Meet Dr. C
Before Dr. Celina ever created anything for Trap Baby & Me, she made songs. Literally. Her mother played piano and English horn. Her father played baritone in the legendary FAMU Marching 100. By the time Celina made it through school herself, she'd worked her way through clarinet, oboe, and tenor sax. Music wasn't a hobby in her house, it was the family language.
Funny enough, when she got to college, she went a different route. Music wasn't her major. She actually went on to earn a degree in chemical engineering from FAMU, a master's in environmental engineering from UC Berkeley, and a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin.
Eventually she landed at UCF, where she is now a professor. She spends her days teaching our future leaders in engineering and technology, and her nights (and most of her weekends) building a system for raising culturally-grounded kids who move to a beat that actually sounds like home.
That second part started with one baby boy. When Marley was born, Dr. Celina did what any musical family would do. She started playing music for him immediately, moving his little body to the beat before he could even hold his head up. But something kept nagging at her every time she took him to a class built for someone else's childhood, not his.
So, true to form, she engineered a fix.
It Was Already In Her
Ironically, she had the blueprint for childhood development already. Dr. Celina comes from a long line of early childhood educators, not just musicians. Her family owned FAM-CO Learning and Development Center in Jacksonville, Florida, once named one of the Top 10 daycare centers in the nation by Child Magazine. Her family understands both worlds, the science of how kids grow, and the sound of how families live. Trap Baby & Me is really just that legacy, remixed for Marley's generation.
Our Team
The Hearts Behind Every Beat
Every song your child dances to, every class that feels like home, every moment of freedom on the floor, someone poured real thought and heart into making that happen. Our team is made up of educators, connectors, and creatives who believe kids deserve space to move, express, and just be little. This is who makes Trap Baby & Me possible.
Donna Harris
Curriculum & Instruction
La'Kennya Huggins
Outreach & Connection
Alexa Taylor
Design & Development
THE VIBE
See the Noise
Words can only do so much. This is what a Trap Baby & Me class actually looks like: little bodies finding their rhythm, moms, dads, aunties, uncles, grandparents, and everyone in between cutting loose right alongside them. Every week at Trap Baby & Me is a room full of people who just get it. Scroll through, and come see it in person.
