top of page

More than 125,000 children in Philadelphia grow up in poverty. Of these, nearly 60,000 live in deep poverty. Under these conditions, basic resources are in jeopardy, and for kids, play is a vital part of childhood.

 

What is so important about play? Play supports critical aspects of physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development. We learn problem-solving, strategy, coordination, cooperation, patience, resilience, and experimentation through play. Without access to toys and games in their early years, children in poverty run the risk of growing into young adults who struggle to compete in a larger society that demands the ability to collaborate, strategize, think creatively, and problem-solve. Simple toys can have profound impacts!

 

The goals of Instant RePlay are three-fold:

 

(1) to keep vital resources in circulation between communities that have and communities that need;

(2) to give low-income children and families easy access to play resources and the diverse skills that they encourage; and

(3) to create the possibility of compassion and playfulness throughout Philadelphia communities.

 

Instant RePlay is a program in which various schools and organizations conduct month-long collections of gently used/new toys and games for kids 4-10 years old. The collections are then sorted by volunteers to ensure that the items are clean and complete. They are then delivered to organizations such as the Children's Crisis Treatment Center and Smith Playground that work with low-income families to be distributed free-of-charge. Since its beginning in 2015, Instant RePlay has kept more than 1,500 toys in circulation in Philadelphia.

 

Thanks for visiting our website! Click on the links above to find out about upcoming collections and ways to support Instant RePlay.

bottom of page