Funded by the Nussbaum Foundation
IESA has received funding from the Nussbaum Foundation to open two toy libraries in the Lavender Hill / Capricorn communities. The first will be a toy library housed at a local ECD Centre that will be accessed by surrounding ECD Centres for use in their centres. Over 21 ECD Centres sent delegates on training to learn about how to use toys effectively in child development, the role of play in development and how to correctly identify barriers to learning that children in their centres may be experiencing.
Following on from the awareness and advocacy project IESA undertook in the Lavender Hill/ Capricorn are in 2009/2010 a number of children with special learning needs and disabilities were identified. The large majority of these children were not accessing any form of education. Most children are on waiting lists for local special schools but we felt there was a real need to support their parents to stimulate their children and ensure their development whilst at home. Hence the need for an adapted toy library in the area which parents can access to borrow toys that have been specifically adapted for use by children with a wide range of disabilities and barriers to learning. This is the second toy library we are establishing in this community and will be housed at the Living Hope Centre. We are currently training parents on the role play in development, play at home and child development before the toy library is opened in February 2011.
Two practitioners from each toy library site will be sent on comprehensive training, offered by ALL-SA (Active Learning and leisure Libraries South Africa) where they will be shown how to prepare and catalogue toys and how to administer a toy library. The toys are in the process of being sourced and the toy libraries will open in February 2011.