Eden, Jacqueline and Monique are three of the mums behind a movement making toys more accessible in the Illawarra. Photo: Keeli Dyson.
A group of Illawarra mums are making playtime more accessible, affordable and sustainable by creating the region’s only toy library and connecting local families.
Most families are familiar with the clutter and chaos of children’s toys which are often expensive and only loved for a short time before being stored away, donated or thrown in the trash.
But soon Illawarra parents will have more choice and for a cheaper price, with the Wollongong Toy Library only weeks away from opening its doors.
“The reality is that children get bored of toys quickly if they’re not rotated, toys are expensive, toys in small homes are very difficult to store and there’s also the sustainability aspect,” Illawarra mum Katia Burgess said.
“It’s actually quite stressful to see how many things people throw out.”
Katia and fellow mums Monique Velasco, Eden Frater and Jacqueline Biazoto were all independently motivated to get a toy library off the ground in our region after seeing the need within the community.
They were introduced to each other by Toy Libraries Australia and quickly formed friendships and a collaborative partnership.
“We all come from different backgrounds, we all have slightly different reasons of why we wanted to be involved in this but the common denominators between us was that we’re all mothers, we all understand children’s need and the benefits of play as well,” Eden said.
“We all think childhood development is really important as well and we all have a passion for equality, so it was about having toys that not everyone can access, and then make them accessible to families that couldn’t.”
The initiative will run on memberships, with tiered options dependant on how much and often you borrow, concessions and volunteering contributions, with borrowing time expected to be in four-week blocks.
“Something that I actually learnt in early childhood is week one is learning the toy, week two is engaging with it, week three is mastering the toy and by week four you pretty much know the toy and are done with the toy,” Monique said.
“We figure that four-week cycle gives them enough time to play and engage with it, learn it really well.”
The library also aims to take the guesswork out of choosing toys and focus on the connection of play rather than just the products themselves.
“The idea is to have one day where we have a stay and play session, where people come and stay and play with the toys,” Monique said.
“It gives families a chance to connect with us, connect with other families around in the community and also just to explore the toys before they borrow them.
“When you’re buying new toys for kids, you don’t necessarily know how your child is going to interact with those toys, so by having these stay and play sessions it will really allow children and families to see is this a good fit for my child and is this something that I would be willing to take home?
“We also want to have a general borrowing session where people can just come grab some toys and go home.
“While we are a service that is about sharing a tangible thing, the community is very much at the heart of what we do as well,” Katia said.
“Because we are young mothers and we know what it’s like to be young mothers in this day and age, to have a community of likeminded families and similar aged children coming together with the same sort of values of sustainability, play and opportunity – it’s just a recipe for building friendships and building support for people who need support in the community too.”
Driven by a joint vision, the women have spent months fundraising and spreading the message to get the idea off the ground and recently secured a Port Kembla location.
And while the community has rallied behind them and enthusiasm builds, ongoing support and volunteers will be vital for its longevity.
“When we open it will be just getting people in, getting the word out, making sure we have enough toys to resource people – then getting feedback from the community about how we might be able to run things, some toys we might be missing, some toys that aren’t needed,” Eden said.
“So as much as we are the ones running it, it really is community run, where as soon as we open we will rely on feedback from the community to stay running, stay relevant and actually be successful.”
To stay up to date on its opening or to reach out and support the Wollongong Toy Library, visit its Facebook or Instagram pages.
