Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times
Cindy Lockett, at right, returns to her daughter, Rachel, who spent time with Eve Medina, a volunteer at a child care center in Bronx Family Court, while her mother was busy in the court.
Cheerful spirits are rare inside the Bronx Family Courthouse, a stone fortress at 900 Sheridan Avenue whose chambers brim with juvenile offenders, troubled spouses and abused children. But inside room 7-90, the weightiest matter is choosing between the toy blocks or the finger paints.
Room 7-90 is the Children’s Center, an oasis of calm in a building whose courtrooms are often filled with sadness, anger and trauma.









