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, inviting guardians with children under the age of six to drop in and enjoy tea or coffee  while their little ones play with a varietyof age-appropriate toys.

“It’s an opportunity for parents or caregivers to come and get to know people in the community,” says Eugene Berg, former youth and family life co-ordinator at Edmonton Temple. “Having a program where you can meet people in the community can lead to hanging out outside of this program and growing your network.”

The Toy Library program runs alongside the Play Café. If a child finds a toy they enjoy, the parent can sign out the toy like they would a book at the libraryand take it home for up to two weeks.

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 financial relief by allowing them to register for the toy library for only $24 a year.

“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,” says Berg. “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.”

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