Play for All
Application period for the 2025-26 program year opens January 8, 2025!
The Play for All project helps California libraries design and create welcoming family play spaces and offer meaningful programming around play for young children ages zero to eight.
Purpose
Research shows that play is essential to a young child’s development. The California State Library’s 2021 white paper Together, Learning More! documents the influential role play has in a young child’s cognitive, social, and emotional skills development. The paper also demonstrates that a range of play experiences is important for well-rounded development.
| Play Characteristic | Influence on Development |
|---|---|
| Imaginary Play | Creativity, Reasoning, Empathy |
| Social Play | Self-regulation, Pro-social skills, Language development |
| Physical Play | Fine motor skills, Scientific thinking, Language development |
| Game Play | Executive functions, Reasoning, Creativity (when open-ended) |
Many young children in California, however, do not have access to safe spaces to play and learn. Play for All supports libraries in providing access to quality play spaces and play-based programming for young children in underserved communities.
The Play for All grants are Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funded. The projects meet Goal 4 of the California LSTA Investment Plan 2023–2027 (PDF): Strengthen resource-sharing and access to information, services, and opportunity with an emphasis on local community strengths and challenges.
Participating Libraries 2024–2025
- Butte County Library
- City of Escondido, Escondido Public Library
- County of Imperial Free Library
- Fresno County Public Library
- Oceanside Public Library
- Paso Robles Library Foundation
- San Jose Public Library Foundation
- Santa Fe Springs City Library
Questions
Email earlylearning@library.ca.gov.