Our mission, as a national body, is to promote the establishment and effective operation of Active Learning Toy Libraries for childhood development through needs- and skills-focused play in support of every child’s right to an equal opportunity to reach his or her potential.

Our vision is to have a quality Active Learning Toy Library within reach of every child.

ALL-SA aims to address the following pressing needs of children growing up in South Africa today:

1. Many families cannot afford to send their children to any pre-school programme. These children are at a great disadvantage when they start school. Research has shown that children that have been stimulated from an early age perform better at school and later in life. Toy Libraries provide a cost-effective solution.

2. The majority of parents in South Africa are not aware of the importance of stimulating a child from birth. ALL-SA has developed an informative, illustrated pamphlet available in 4 languages giving a simple explanation of important skills to stimulate through play with some ideas on how to stimulate babies, toddlers and pre-school children.

3. Many Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centres do not know how to stimulate children through play and do not have adequate play materials for the children. Children attending these centres sadly enter primary school without essential foundation skills. Our training addresses this need. Toy librarians demonstrate the use of toys so the materials borrowed from the toy library are used effectively.

4. Many parents of children with special needs do not know how to stimulate their children. Parents become anxious because of lack of knowledge. Toys that are too difficult frustrate the children. Toy Libraries provide essential information and access to toys at different levels of difficulty and to expensive specialised toys.

5. Many primary and high school children have gaps in their skills and knowledge because of inadequate stimulation in their early years. These children struggle to learn certain concepts – often in maths and science. They lack language skills and good problem solving techniques. Active Learning Toy Libraries provide graded play materials that gradually increase in difficulty, building the child’s self-confidence and skills.

6. There is a lack of safe, free play spaces throughout the country which affects not only children’s physical development but also their need for relaxation. Tension affects school performance. Lack of stimulating play facilities can also result in experimentation with sex, crime, drugs and alcohol.

PRINCIPLES:

1. PROVIDE PLAY OPPORTUNITIES: Our main focus is on providing ALL children throughout South Africa with play opportunities that will:
- Enable them to develop the physical and cognitive skills needed for formal learning
- Encourage interactive play between children and also between adult caregivers and children to enhance psychological and social health.

2. SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN’S RIGHTS:
- ALL-SA supports the right of children to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to their ages. This right is entrenched by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 31.
- ALL-SA supports the right of the child to education – Article 28 of the Convention. Active learning toy libraries provide toys, games and activities at varying levels of difficulty that assist children to develop school skills progressively and on the basis of equal opportunity.
- ALL-SA also supports Article 29, which states that education should develop “the child’s personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential”.
- ALL-SA supports the right of mentally or physically disabled children to have access to toy and leisure library services free of charge in order to assist in their fullest possible social integration and individual development. This supports Article 23.

3. NON DISCRIMINATION: ALL-SA’s Constitution states that toy libraries should offer integrated services without discrimination based on race, colour, sex, age, language, religion, political or other opinion, nationality, ethnic or social origin, disability, birth or medical status.

4. RECOGNISE THE IMPORTANCE OF EXISTING COMMUNITY STRUCTURES: ALL-SA recognizes the importance of community structures and will consult with, strengthen and develop them so that adequate play facilities are made available to all persons within the community.

5. TRANSPARENCY: Our organisation is open to scrutiny.

6. SERVICES: ALL-SA provides the following services:

6.1 Access to Play Opportunities for disadvantaged children:
We have a model Come & Play toy library that is free of charge which
- offers a wide variety of play materials and a safe place to play
- covers all skill areas, age groups and levels of difficulty
- provides toys for children with special needs.
- Every week the Toy Library outreach programme provides play sessions to
- two ARV clinics where children infected with HIV receive their medication. Hundreds of children benefit from this play intervention.
- a well baby clinic in the area. International research supports our belief that stimulation should start from birth and that parents need to be informed about the importance of early stimulation.

6.2 Training:
- Training courses include:
- Setting up and running a toy library
- Skills development through Play Actions
- Using toys, games and activities to support the national curriculum (for teachers)
- Using play actions to identify problem areas in children and using toys and games to strengthen weak areas (this course is currently being developed)
- Training workshops include:
- Making toys from scrap materials
- Stimulating children through play (for parents)

6.3 Information about toy libraries, toys, games and activities, toy suppliers, early stimulation and play. We do this through:
- answering telephone and email enquiries
- our website
- a pamphlet, “Play Today”, encouraging early stimulation – available in four languages
- our magazine which is published twice a year
- distributing a resource manual – “Toys, Games and Activities for the Developing Child”
- frequently circulating relevant new information
- National Toy Library Conferences, which are held every 2 years. At each of the four conferences held so far, sponsorship has been raised to enable over 50 needy delegates to attend. The conference programmes focus on skills development. Each Conference has generated renewed enthusiasm in toy librarians. After every Conference, more toy libraries have opened.

6.4 Quality Assurance and Toy Library Development:
- ALL-SA has developed a Quality Assurance Programme to assist toy libraries to offer an excellent service. This project, funded by the Jim Joel Education and Training Fund, allows us to visit toy libraries throughout the country.
- We also provide support to toy libraries telephonically, via email and by post.

6.5 Advocacy focuses on:
- The value of toy libraries in fulfilling the stimulation and recreation requirements of children with and without special needs.
- The importance of early stimulation for all children.
- The value of play in society for the psycho-social health of communities.
- The importance of safe play spaces for all children, especially municipal parks

6.6 Distribution of donated toys – we sort and distribute excess toys to needy toy libraries, pre-schools and children’s homes.

Operates in: All of South Africa
Established in: 1993

Non-Profit Organisation Number: 013-842
Public Benefit Organisation Number: 930000703
Section 21 Company Number:
Trust Number:

Contact person: Maxine Fine
Phone: 011 484 0333
Fax: 086 591 8494
Email:

Website: www.activelearninglibraries.org.za

Physical address: Children’s Memorial Institute (CMI), 13 Joubert Street Ext, (off Empire Road), Parktown, Johannesburg
Postal address: Postnet Suite 217, Private Bag X30500, Houghton, 2041