Pikes Peak Library District uses no cost toys in “Toy Library” for childhood development
Bradley Davis
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) has toys parents can check out for their child for no cost all year long.
It has toys for children 0-5 to help with their early development and two large toy rooms at the East Library for the older kids.
The playrooms have intricate toys inside the Educational Resource Center (ERC), many focused on creative building. Parents can reserve a time for their kid to play in the room for free. Some of the toys can also be checked out through PPLD’s Discovery Kits program. The district will send it to your nearest library.
The early development toys go hand-in-hand with the library’s partnership with the free Lena Start Program, focused on encouraging back-and-forth talk between parents and toddlers. PPLD said 14% of 16-year-olds in Colorado Springs are functionally illiterate. Lena Start said talking to your toddler regularly increases future class scores by 80%.
Registration for the next Lena Start session opens on March 16th. Each participant gets a “talk padometer” that tracks how much they talk to their toddler. Every parent who graduates from the no cost course gets eight free books and a $20 gift card.