TOY LIBRARIES:Play can protect children from

violence and trauma

Dr. Jane AronsonCEO & President, Worldwide Orphans

www.wwo.org

Unite For Sight: Global Health and Innovation Conference

April 13-14, 2019Yale University, New Haven, CT

THE NEEDSToy Library History

Canada 1975

Los Angeles 1937

United Kingdom 1967 – 1970s Playbus in Scotland

Brazil 1981

Argentina 1990

Norway 1969

Sweden 1963 Lekotek Movement

Switzerland 1973

Moscow 1992St. Petersburg Early Intervention Center and Lekotek Joint Project

Israel 1984 “0-3” Project

India 1993

Nigeria 1986

Melbourne 1971

The WWO Toy LibraryOver 15 years of work of specialists

(OT, PT, SLP, ECD specialists, special education instructors)

120 Curated Toys

➢ Toys were selected based on theircontribution to the cognitive, physical,social and emotional well-being of thechild

➢ Toys are based on the highest US andEU safety standards and partnershipswith vendors from the International ToyFair

➢ 50 curated books and lesson plans thatare uniquely matched to the toyswithin the Toy Library

Toy Reference Cards

➢ Developmental Age

➢ Developmental Domains✓ Cognition✓ Fine Motor✓ Gross Motor✓ Social/Emotional✓ Communication

➢ “Do-Say-Play”: intentional play

What the child is able to do by themselves

What the child is not yet able to do by themselves

Ch

ild’s

Gro

wth

an

d D

eve

lop

me

nt

What the child is able to do with assistance

Adult’s Role

Observation

Scaffolding

Reinforcement

Adult Training Methodology

Vygotsky (1896-1934)

➢ Master trainings andprogram-specificworkshops

➢ Adult knowledge:Reciprocity andhealthy attachment

➢ Adults of anyeducational levelbecome mentors

Pre- / Post-test (adults) – Sarah Burke

House Training

➢ Creating a completelynew line of work – theToy Librarian - to growmentors and teachersof play from within thecommunity

➢ Highest professionalstatus of pedagogue

➢ Mentors who have astheir raison d'etre toprotect childrenforever

Workforce Development

Standardized screenings

Case study: example of developmental improvements over time

22 months ASQ3

33 months ASQ3

Case study: example of developmental improvements over time (cont.)

36 months ASQ3

42 months ASQ3

Poster Presentation: AAP National

Conference, November 2018

Poster Presentation: AAP National

Conference, September 2017

Poster Presentation: AAP National

Conference, October 2015

THE NEEDSBrain development in the early years

When play and safe, stable, nurturing relationships are missing in a child’s life, toxic stress can disrupt the development of executive function and the learning of prosocial behavior.

In the presence of childhood adversity,

play becomes even more important

THE NEEDSProtecting Children through Play

➢ The mutual joy and shared communication and attunement (harmonious serve and return interactions) that parents and children can experience during play regulate the body’s stress response.

➢ Research shows that developmentally appropriate play with parents and peers is a singular opportunity to promote the social-emotional, cognitive, language, and self-regulation skills that build executive function and a prosocial brain.

Protecting Children through Play

➢ Play supports the formation of the safe, stable, and nurturing relationships with caregivers that children need to thrive.

➢ Helping adults to understand the importance of close, effective caregiver-child communication reduces harsh parenting practices, creates positive parent-child interactions and helps increase bonding between adults and children – all factors that help prevent violence against children.

• Bretherton I. The origins of attachment theory: John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. Developmental Psychology [serial online]. September 1992;28(5):759-775. Available from: PsycINFO, Ipswich, MA. Accessed April 13, 2013.

• The effects of early social-emotional and relationship experience on the development of young orphanage children: I. Theoretical, empirical, and practical rationale. Monographs Of The Society For Research In Child Development [serial online]. December 2008;73(3):1-15. Available from: PsycINFO, Ipswich, MA. Accessed April 13, 2013.

• The effects of early social-emotional and relationship experience on the development of young orphanage children: II. Baby homes in the Russian federation. Monographs Of The Society For Research In Child Development [serial online]. December 2008;73(3):16-29. Available from: PsycINFO, Ipswich, MA. Accessed June 5, 2013.

• Groark C, McCall R, Fish L. Characteristics of environments, caregivers, and children in three Central American orphanages. Infant Mental Health Journal [serial online]. March 2011;32(2):232-250. Available from: PsycINFO, Ipswich, MA. Accessed April 13, 2013.

• Van IJzendoorn M, Luijk M, Juffer F. IQ of children growing up in children's homes: A meta-analysis on IQ delays in orphanages. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly [serial online]. July 2008;54(3):341-366. Available from: PsycINFO, Ipswich, MA. Accessed April 13, 2013.

• Groark C, Muhamedrahimov R, Palmov O, Nikiforova N, McCall R. Improvements In Early Care In Russian Orphanages and Their Relationship To Observed Behaviors. Infant Mental Health Journal [serial online]. March 2005;26(2):96-109. Available from: PsycINFO, Ipswich, MA. Accessed April 13, 2013.

• Werner E. Protective factors and individual resilience. Handbook of early childhood intervention (2nd ed.) [e-book]. New York, NY US: Cambridge University Press; 2000:115-132. Available from: PsycINFO, Ipswich, MA. Accessed April 14, 2013.As cited in Early Childhood Development and Disability: A Discussion Paper. World Health Organization Monograph. (Serial online) World Health Organization 2012

• Guralnick M, Albertini G. Early Intervention in an International Perspective. Journal Of Policy And Practice In Intellectual Disabilities [serial online]. March 2006;3(1):1-2. Available from: PsycINFO, Ipswich, MA. Accessed April 14, 2013.

• World Health Organization. INSPIRE: seven strategies for ending violence against children. World Health Organization, 2016.

• Yogman M, Garner A, Hutchinson J, et al; AAP Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health, AAP Council on Communications and Media. The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children. Pediatrics. 2018;142(3):e20182058

References

• Daunhauer L, Coster W, Tickle-Degnen L, Cermak S. Effects of caregiver-child interactions on play occupations among young children institutionalized in Eastern Europe. American Journal Of Occupational Therapy [serial online]. July 2007;61(4):429-440. Available from: PsycINFO, Ipswich, MA. Accessed April 13, 2013.

• The effects of early social-emotional and relationship experience on the development of young orphanage children: X. Effects of the interventions on caregiver–child Interactions during free play (PCERA). Monographs Of The Society For Research In Child Development[serial online]. December 2008;73(3):167-186. Available from: PsycINFO, Ipswich, MA. Accessed June 5, 2013

• Taneja V, Sriram S, Puliyel J, et al. 'Not by bread alone': Impact of a structured 90-minute play session on development of children in an orphanage. Child: Care, Health And Development [serial online]. January 2002;28(1):95-100. Available from: PsycINFO, Ipswich, MA. April 13, 2013.

• Taneja V, Aggarwal R, Beri R, Puliyel J. Not by bread alone project: A 2-year follow-up report. Child: Care, Health And Development [serial online]. November 2005;31(6):703-706. Available from: PsycINFO, Ipswich, MA. April 13, 2013.

• Child Development Science in Action. American Scientist. May/June 2009,: 97 (3) p. 228-228.

• Skovdal, M., & Daniel, M. Resilience through participation and coping-enabling social environments: the case of HIV-affected children in sub-Saharan Africa. African Journal of AIDS Research (AJAR). October 2012: 11(3): 153-164 .

• Rettig, Michael A. Guidelines for Beginning and Maintaining a Toy Lending Library. Early Childhood Education Journal, 25, 229-232. (1998)

• Jackson, S.C., Robey, L., Watjus, M., & Chadwick, E. (1991) Play for ALL Children: The Toy Library Solution. Childhood Education, 68 (1), 27-31.

• Kapellaka, U. (1992). Toy libraries: Learning through play with toys. International Journal of Early Childhood, 24(2), 53-56.

• Ozanne L, Ozanne J. A child's right to play: The social construction of civic virtues in toy libraries. Journal Of Public Policy & Marketing[serial online]. 2011;30(2):264-278. Available from: PsycINFO, Ipswich, MA.

• Siraj-Blatchford I. Conceptualizing progression in the pedagogy of play and sustained shared thinking in early childhood education: AVygotskian perspective. Educational And Child Psychology [serial online]. 2009;26(2):77-89. Available from: PsycINFO, Ipswich, MA. Accessed April 21, 2013.

• Berk L, Winsler A. Scaffolding Children's Learning: Vygotsky And Early Childhood Education [e-book]. Washington, DC US: National Association for the Education of Young Children; 1999. Available from: PsycINFO, Ipswich, MA. Accessed April 21, 2013.

• UNICEF. Central and Eastern Europe Commonwealth of Independent States, Shumen Bulgaria September 20, 2011, New Family Counseling Center opened in Shumen. Available at http://www.unicef.org/ceecis/media_18011.html Accessibility verified April 30, 2013.

References