Edmonton Temple launches Play Café and Toy Library programs for kids

The Salvation Army’s Edmonton Temple has launched two exciting new programs geared toward parents, caregivers, and their children – The Play Café and Toy Library.

The Play Café runs every Thursday morning at Edmonton Temple from 10-12 p.m. Guardians with children six-years-old and under are welcome to drop in and enjoy tea or coffee while their little ones play with a variety of age-appropriate toys. Snacks are also available.

“It’s an opportunity for parents or caregivers to come and get to know people in the community,” Edmonton Temple Youth and Family Life Coordinator Eugene Berg said.

“Having a program where you can meet people in the community can lead to also hanging out outside of this (program) and growing your network.”

The Toy Library is a program that runs alongside the Play Café. If a child finds a toy they really enjoy, the parent can sign out the toy, like they would a book at the library, and take it home for up to two weeks. Registration only costs $24 a year.

Part of the motivation for creating the Play Café and Toy Library is to allow children to hone their social skills and make new friends.

However, it also provides parents and guardians some financial relief because buying every toy that catches a child’s eye will break the bank pretty quickly.

“If a child doesn’t have a lot of toys at home, or maybe the parents can’t afford toys, they can come here and try out a lot of toys,” Eugene said. “We wanted to make it accessible to low-income families as well. Depending on their situation, this might be a better option than buying a bunch of toys.”

The concept for the two programs stems from Captain Tinisha Reid’s time stationed in Victoria, British Columbia. She ran a Play Café that grew in popularity to the point where they needed to expand the program to a second day each week because as many as 80 people were attending at once.

Edmonton Temple’s program has only been opened since February and is still in its infancy, but Eugene is optimistic that as word spreads about the program, attendance will steadily grow in Edmonton as well.

The Salvation Army in St. Albert has similar programs for children all day on Thursdays as well. Play Cafe, Kid’s Open Gym, Baby Song are available to children 0-10 years old.

For more information about Edmonton Temple’s Play Café and Toy Library, please call 780-469-6846 or visit EdmontonTemple.com.