Toy Libraries Australia

Thriving Kids initiative submission

Parliament of Australia

House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability

redacted

October 2025 redacted

Introduction

Toy Libraries Australia is the national peak body representing 399 toy libraries and supporting over 175,809 children, parents and carers who use toy libraries each year.

The primary focus of our submission is to highlight elements of Thriving Kids that are particularly important to toy libraries and not repeat information in the submissions of partners. We support the following work and submissions:

• National Best Practice Framework for Early Childhood Intervention
• Australian Child and Family Supports Alliance
• National Child and Family Hubs Network

Executive summary

Toy libraries are an original foundational support, supporting families with developmental concern, delay and disability since 1971. Toy libraries are a proven, scalable, cost-effective way to deliver Thriving Kids’ goals. Toy libraries provide low-cost, inclusive supports that empower parents, reduce inequities, and link families with services.

Our submission focuses on two areas:

1. Creating a seamless transition in the first 1000 days for families who have developmental concerns for their child. This should include:
   • Universal maternal child health nurse visit schedule
   • New parents groups (for both dads and mums)
   • Early years parenting support coaches working in interdisciplinary teams
   • Investment in community toy libraries, playgroups and other local supports.
2. Embedding enhanced toy library services within Thriving Kids
   • Toy libraries are mainstream, community-based services that already support families with developmental concerns, delay and disability.
   • Toy libraries provide soft-entry, low-cost, inclusive supports that empower parents, reduce inequities, and link families with services.
   • Thriving Kids funding could refine, sustain and expand pilots already underway into a network of enhanced toy library services.

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1. Seamless transition in first 1000 days

Objective

Creating a seamless transition in the first 1000 days for families with developmental concerns for their child.

Why is this needed?

The first three years are crucial in a child’s development but often overlooked in systemic policy responses. Education settings which have good reach for older children have poorer coverage during the first 1000 days, with only 36% of children aged 0-2 years attending childcare.1 Further children with developmental concerns, such as behavioural issues, are often excluded from educational settings, resulting in lower representation in formal education.

The earlier a child is identified as having developmental delay and/or disability, the more likely they are to benefit from support,2 programs targeted toward the earliest years deliver the highest return on investment,3 and early action is also needed to address entrenched disadvantage which is evident before children reach preschool.4

For developmental delay to be identified the family must be connected to the early years system. However, for many families there is no consistent touch point during the first 3 years. Parents and carers with concern about their child’s development often don’t know where to access the system or get support.

How Thriving Kids can create a seamless transition in the first 1000 days

In the Centre for Community Child Health’s Thriving Kids submission, they describe universal systems requiring uplift.5 We have expanded on their model to build out a universal and enhanced support system that provides continuity of connection from birth to 3-year old preschool.

Figure 1: Universal and enhanced supports for 0-3 years

Cohort	Birth	1 year	2 years	3 years	Thriving Kids response
All children	Ante natal care	Maternal and child health nurse	Maternal and child health nurse	Maternal and child health nurse	Create universal MCHN schedule
All children		Primary and community health	Primary and community health	Primary and community health
All children		Early childhood education and care	Early childhood education and care	Early childhood education and care
All children	New parents groups	Community toy libraries	Community toy libraries	Community toy libraries	Uplift existing universal services
All children		Community playgroups	Community playgroups	Community playgroups
Developmental concerns		Early years support coaches	Early years support coaches	Early years support coaches	Establish and expand enhanced supports
Developmental concerns		Enhanced toy libraries	Enhanced toy libraries	Enhanced toy libraries
Developmental concerns		Supported playgroups	Supported playgroups	Supported playgroups

1 Department of Education. Child care subsidy data tables. December 2024. 2 Early Childhood Intervention Australia. National Guidelines, Best Practice in Early Childhood Intervention. 2016. 3 Heckmann, JJ. Invest in early childhood development. (2012) 4 Victoria University Mitchell Institute. Unequal from the Start. 2025. 5 Centre for Community Child Health. Thriving Kids submission figure 3. 2025

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This would require investment in:

• Universal maternal child health nurses - a national schedule of a minimum of 10 scheduled visits available to all families. The nurses must be trained and supported by systems to make sure families are successfully engaged with local services including toy libraries.
• New parents groups - local new parents groups available for all first time parents, including specific groups for dads and other parents with specific needs or diverse backgrounds.
• Community toy libraries and playgroups - community toy libraries and playgroups provide families universal access to resources and peer support but currently run on the good will of passionate community members who need support.
• Early years support parenting coaches - individual support for parents and caregivers with developmental concerns for their child to identify and use strategies that support their child’s learning opportunities and build their relationship (see Brotherhood of St Laurence model)
• Enhanced toy libraries (see next section), playgroups and other community supports.

2. Enhanced toy libraries

Objective

Make enhanced toy libraries a core component of the Thriving Kids initiative.

What is an enhanced toy library and why is it needed?

An enhanced toy library provides additional support for families with a child with developmental concerns, delay and disability within an existing mainstream toy library. Trained toy librarians act as facilitators, introducing families to the toy library, offering guidance on choosing developmentally appropriate toys, building peer support between families, and connections with other services.

Support should be relational, with a trained staff member consistently available to meet the specific needs of children, which may vary from day to day. Reliable, familiar staff help build parents and children’s confidence through trust, making the toy library a safe and inclusive space for every visit.

This approach builds parental confidence and wellbeing, reduces barriers to play, supports child development and strengthens community connection — much like supported playgroups — but in a flexible model that is more accessible, engages the whole extended family, and takes play into the home.

Toy libraries are unique in strengthening the home learning environment. Recent Mitchell Institute research found that the home environment plays a key role in children’s later learning outcomes6 and the National Best Practice Framework for Early Childhood Intervention7 states ‘Children learn best in the everyday settings in which they spend time, so it makes sense that support should be provided in those settings.’

Toy libraries also excel in engaging all parents and carers, including dads and grandparents, helping to break down parent gender role stereotypes and support all members of the child’s extended family.

6 Victoria University Mitchell Institute. Unequal from the Start. 2025. 7 University of Melbourne. National Best Practice Framework for Early Childhood Intervention. 2025.

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Figure 2: Benefits of enhanced toy Libraries in Thriving Kids

Soft entry point	Everyday setting	Whole family wellbeing	Save money
Accessible, welcoming place to get peer advice for parents with concerns on their child’s development, helping them identify and navigate service options	A place- and strengths-base service which integrates children with disability as equals and promotes learning in everyday settings	Supports parents and siblings to connect and play with the broader community beyond disability, building resilience and wellbeing.	Cost effectively provides the resources needed to enhance the home learning environment to support changing developmental needs,

Toy libraries are amazing, volunteer-led, community building organisations but currently have limited capacity to provide extra support for families with developmental concerns, delay and disability.

To play this enhanced role within Thriving Kids, toy libraries need additional resources and funding (but not much more!)

Elements of the model

The key to the enhanced toy library model is a toy librarian with the skills and time to engage directly with children and families, working in a collaborative and integrated local network services®.

Other required elements of an enhanced toy library include:

• Workforce development: training of staff and key volunteers to provide them with the skills to support families with developmental concerns for their child
• Outreach: into the community to introduce families to the toy library, including through links with maternal and child health nurses, ECEC and early years coaches
• Guided toy selection: one-on-one engagement with families to choose toys suited to their child’s age, interests and developmental stage
• Peer support: create peer support opportunities, potentially including facilitated play sessions, to connect families in similar situations
• Service and professional linkages: network with other local organisations to connect families to supported playgroups, early years coaches, early intervention services and other support services.
• Communication: implement inclusive communications practices in the toy library
• Home learning resources: families take home toys with play ideas and parenting education to build the capacity of parents and carers
• Environmental adaptation: make adaptations to support sensory needs (e.g. modified lighting, aids, quiet spaces), way finding, and accessibility (e.g. click and collect lockers, modified membership terms).

8 University of Melboume. National Best Practice Framework for Early Childhood Intervention. 2025.

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The enhanced toy library model is informed by research and disability inclusion pilots funded by the Australian Government.

• Disability, Access, Inclusion and Support program (ILC funding, $1.5m) - a 2 year program to develop toy libraries as accessible services for families with disability to foster inclusion and community connection. The program’s research phase identified barriers to families with disability using toy libraries and these are now being addressed in 9 pilots at 12 toy libraries.
• Additional disability session (DSS Child and Parenting Support, $330K) - 30 toy libraries extending their opening hours to provide a targeted service for families with children with developmental delay or disability.

Currently approximately 60 toy libraries would have the capacity to deliver an enhanced toy library model with appropriate ongoing funded, with the potential for more to join as the model matures.

Required investment

This model builds on the existing activities of mainstream toy libraries, making it very cost effective.

Each enhanced toy library would require an additional 0.4FTE (~$55,000). Toy Libraries Australia would also need an ongoing lead disability practitioner after the end of the ILC funding in June 2026.

Case study

‘Sam’, who has disabilities and is neurodiverse previously visited the toy library but was so overwhelmed he wouldn’t return.

Recently the toy library began running supported borrowing sessions which had a limit of two families visiting at any time. It took a lot of persuasion by his mum that this visit would be different, and he was very anxious in the few days prior to returning to the toy library.

When they arrived, they were the only family there. Sam and his parents happily browsed the toys, exploring them and then playing in one room. The mother was so thankful when she left, she was almost in tears. This was such a heartwarming and successful reintroduction to the toy library for them.

A few months later the toy librarian noticed they weren’t coming to the supported sessions anymore. When asked why, Sam’s mum replied that Saturdays had become busy with therapy and sport, but since Sam had the opportunity to quietly explore the toy library in the 3 supported visits, he understands the toy library and no longer needs the additional support.

Now he likes coming to the mainstream toy library sessions, returning his toys before selecting new toys. He then wants to go home to play with them. His parents are also able to select toys that support his therapy goals. The toy library even bought toys suggested by his occupational therapist saving the family money and allowing Sam to practice therapy activities at home.

For more information contact

Debbie Williams, Chief Executive Officer, Toy Libraries Australia Victoria Park Community Centre Corner of Lulie and Abbott St, Abbotsford 3067 redacted