Becky Temko Tot Park

2424 Roosevelt Avenue, Berkeley, California 94703, United States

Becky Temko Tot Park is located at 2424 Roosevelt Street between Dwight and Channing Ways-Southwest Berkeley, Mobile Unit 2. This little park is a lovely neighborhood gem for Tots in central Berkeley. There's a little grassy area, cute children's sculptures to play on, a nice play structure, and tot-friendly picnic tables.

In 1968, the City of Berkeley acquired the land for the park. Architects were chosen in September 1969. Neighborhood residents helped to demolish an old building on the site, and City workers took the debris away. The Flatlands Neighborhood Association helped to plan and develop the park and continued to play an active role in its maintenance and renovation. Play equipment was installed in the 1970s.

Originally named Roosevelt Tot Lot, the park was awarded the California Parks and Recreation Society District III Parks Citation in 1975 for neighborhood participation in design concepts and volunteer work. In 1998, residents approached the City with a request to change the name of the park to honor local resident and former chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission Becky Temko. The City received grant funding through the East Bay Regional Park District Measure WW Grant Program to renovate the park. Renovations were completed in August 2018.

Unique Features: Play structure includes slide structure with 2 different level slides; spinning tea cups; unique stone sculptures that look like cats; sand pit with water features; a lot of ride-on toys left behind by other families.

Swings: Two swings of baby bucket.

Fenced in?: Yes.    

Surfaces: grass on the back, rubber playground mat, sand, concrete

Bathroom: None. Changing of diapers can be done on the lawn or in the strollers.   

Picnic tables & seats: one regular picnic table, one children's long picnic table, two children's colorful picnic tables (4 seats). Bench at the entrance. Parking: Street parking was pretty available on the same block as the park on a weekday afternoon. The curb right in front of the park is a loading zone. Shade: There are aged trees that provide great shades by the picnic tables. No sports fields.

Becky Temko Tot Park, renovated in August 2018, is a small — about half the size of Totland — completely enclosed playground primarily for toddlers and their siblings. The sand pit and water features can make the kids pretty messy, but they're definitely worth it. There are sand toys and donated toy rides and tricycles to push around. For new walkers and kids who don't have every single toy at home, they 're so special and exciting.