Buffalo Toy Library offers kids chance to sample different playthings

BUFFALO, N.Y. – While obtaining her doctorate of education at the University at Buffalo's Graduate School of Education, Hannah Bogdan, EdD ’23, responded to a child’s imaginative idea —  and it since has morphed into a nonprofit organization called the Buffalo Toy Library. 

Bogdan was working as a teacher in UB’s Early Childhood Research Center (ECRC) when a child admitted to taking home a few toys from the classroom but planned to return them, “just like borrowing from the library.” Bogdan thought: Why not? She then started allowing all the students to check out one toy every weekend.

In March, Bogdan took that model and officially founded the Buffalo Toy Library, located at 2929 Main St., at the intersection with Hertel Avenue in North Buffalo.

“It was important to me as an educator to encourage play in all its forms and make toys accessible to all children regardless of income level or zip code,” says Bogdan, who also has firsthand knowledge of parenting. She has one young child and is expecting another very soon.

The toy library is open on Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. Children and their caregivers can drop in to play, explore and borrow toys with a three-tiered membership.

For a $30 yearly membership, a family may check out two toys for two weeks; for $50 they may check out three toys for four weeks; and for $100, they’re allowed five toys for four weeks.

“It’s exciting for kids, because they can rotate out toys and try new things, and it’s great for parents who don’t feel pressured to purchase all these toys that kids may not stay interested in for long,” Bogdan says. “It’s also more sustainable and reduces waste.”

Currently, 87 families have purchased memberships and checked out more than 400 toys, ranging from Ring Stackers to Fisher Price Little People cars to Hot Wheels. The most frequently toy borrowed is a pretend ice cream stand.

“Once parents and kids get involved, they want to keep coming,” she says.

For families who cannot afford memberships, Bogdan has obtained funding from the M&T Charitable Foundation to create membership scholarships.

“The memberships also make great gifts for the holidays or anytime,” she says.

For more information on the Buffalo Toy Library, please contact Hannah Bogdan at hannah@buffalotoylibrary.org.

Buffalo Toy Library

Address:           2929 Main St. Buffalo, NY 14214

(Inside the Valvaere Collective, upstairs from Seven Hearts Coffee Co.)

Hours:               10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday
                                            9 a.m. to noon Saturday

Website:           https://www.buffalotoylibrary.org/

Contact:           hannah@buffalotoylibrary.org.