It is with much joy that we welcome the announcement by Minister for Social Services, Amanda Rishworth of an additional $600k funding for toy libraries. This funding enables TLA to maintain it’s current level of services through to the middle of 2026 and includes exciting new opportunities for toy libraries to access funding for resources, staffing, and applied training to expand and improve access for children with developmental delay and disabilities.
The funding announcement includes:
$11,000 grants for 30 toy libraries to staff an additional session and other activities that support families with disability. The additional session will be specifically for children with disability.
$120,000 for TLA to maintain existing service levels for the next financial year. This includes our national approach to supporting toy libraries and building up the incredible, passionate toy library community. It enables TLA to maintain the current support available nationally to toy libraries until mid-2026.
$20,000 to support the development and implementation of the toy libraries learning management system so that all toy library staff and volunteers can access applied training and resources related to disability access and inclusion.
$50,000 to establish a WA special needs toy service, piloting a model of mobile service integrated with existing community toy libraries.
$40,000 in small grants to go to toy libraries. These grants will be focused on making small yet meaningful changes to toy libraries to better support children with disability or developmental delay.
This funding continues the targeted and evidence informed investment from the Albanese Government in a growing Australian toy library community. Research was undertaken by Toy Libraries Australia with the University of Western Sydney and Glow Research in 2024 to understand the barriers and enablers to families with disability using toy libraries. The research showed that to make toy libraries accessible to families with disability, the toy library needs to be:
Open longer hours and provide alternative borrowing methods
In a fully accessible location
Flexible in their membership requirements
Supporting the person with disability to make independent choices
Fully inclusive of people of all abilities and all ages, without judgment
Integrated with other service providers including early childhood service providers, therapists, playgroups and disability support organisations.
This funding package enables TLA to quickly mobilise 30 toy libraries to specifically address the barrier of limited opening times and alternative methods of borrowing.
Unley Toy Library (South Australia) hosted Minister Rishworth and local MP Steve Georganas for the funding announcement on Thursday 6 March. We would like to thank Brodie Evitts, Toy Librarian and the whole Unley team. We love opportunities to show off amazing toy libraries and with Brodie’s assistance Minister Rishworth and Steve Georganas also had an opportunity to speak and play with the children and families that benefit from, and love the toy library.
We are grateful to the Australian government for their understanding of the impact that toy libraries have to the lives of many children and families, and acknowledgement of the value for money that our model of support presents. When announcing the funding Minister Rishworth said “We are proud to support organisations like Toy Libraries Australia, that empower and embrace children with disability to enrich their learning to achieve their full potential.” The Minister's media release is available HERE
TLA has already been busy activating staff, and systems needed to get the grant funding to toy libraries as soon as possible. TLA member toy libraries should keep an eye in the inbox for announcement when applications open in the coming weeks. This will also follow information sessions for interested toy libraries and support to toy libraries to be able to be successful with this project.
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