Charlton Toy Library is a fun, stimulating safe place. It provides families with a place to come and meet other parents play with their children or get advice from our very experienced members of staff.
We serve hundreds of families in and around the borough. We have an extensive range of children’s books and adult books with reference to all aspects of childcare, health, meal planning, disabilities and many more topics. Our toy selection is fantastic with age ranges from 0 up to 7 on selected toys. We have a wide range of story-sacks, special needs toys, baby toys, games and puzzles, dressing up and many more, all on loan for two weeks.
Our safety and baby equipment is also extensive with items ranging from socket covers to safety gates and play pens. These are on loan from one to six months at a time.
We provide several other extremely important services:
- We offer play/borrowing sessions four mornings a week. During this session parents can also get advice and help on any of the services.
- We offer a Mobile toy and safety equipment loan service to hard to reach and isolated families, a women’s refuge and toddler groups around the borough of Greenwich and some parts of Bexley (Thamesmead). The services listed are available to all our parents and have been used by the families on the mobile project as well.
- Breastfeeding advice by our outreach development worker Sue Munro, who is also a trained Breastfeeding Counsellor. This service has benefitted many mums who, on occasions have come to us distraught. They have gone into the private office with Sue who has then talked them through their problems and offered them practical advice. They have come back to us the following week or fortnight much happier and baby is feeding well and mum is much happier. This service works well for our parents as we have a relaxed friendly atmosphere and we are approachable, also that they do not have to queue in a clinic with frantic siblings or wait for an appointment. We are there and always ready to help.
- We offer basic safety advice in the home, and will visit families if they feel they are worried about any unseen dangers. We offer advice on the right safety equipment, which gates are best for the stairs as not all gates are, some can cause accidents if used not fitted correctly. Our safety and baby equipment is vast, and we offer a free small safety pack/first aid kit to families when we do outreach visits. We have delivered, fitted gates for families whose children are on the * at risk list* to try and help to keep the family together. We have visited parents whose English is not their first language, parents who have special needs i.e. deaf and dumb refugees and asylum seekers. Parents who have postnatal depression and need some friendly advice or practical help. It maybe they just someone to listen and that is where our counselling skills come in handy.
- When needed we have worked alongside health visitors, portage workers and social workers; school liaison officers and other toy libraries.
Aims and Objectives
Charlton Toy Library aims to promote the principle that play does matter for the developing child. Our objectives are to:
- Make play available & lend appropriate toys and books.
- Extend the opportunity for shared play into the home.
- Provide play areas where children and adults can use a wide variety of toys and creative activities and to offer an opportunity to socialise and exchange experiences.
- Offer a befriending & supportive service to parents and carers.
We have an Equal Opportunities policy and a good selection of multi-cultural and non-sexist toys and books.
Charlton Toy Library is not part of Greenwich Council or any Leisure Library. It is an independent voluntary group which has to secure its own funding.
Annual Report
You can download our annual_report_and balance sheet for 2006_2007 (Power Point Document, .ppt)
