The Children’s Play Gallery is a children’s museum dedicated to the education and development of young children through hands-on, creative and interactive play.

We believe that:

• A child learns best through play
• A child learns love, his/her own special value, and trust by playing with a parent, teacher or other caregiver
• The best gift we can give our children is to play together

We strive to:

• Create a diverse, safe & clean environment in which children and their caregivers can play together.
• Prepare young children for school readiness and other life experiences through the use of our hands-on exhibits, interactive play and activities.
• Make every effort to assist families with special needs so all may enjoy The Children’s Play Gallery.
• Work to build community ties, become a gathering place for parents to meet and support each other and their children.

Special Needs Accommodations

We can play crucial roles in assuring that all children have opportunities to participate in developmentally appropriate play activities and we strive to make that possible here at the Gallery.

Access to play experiences for a child with special needs can be facilitated by: Gallery staff, parents and other family members; friends; general and special education teachers; adapted physical educators; occupational, speech and physical therapists; and counselors.

Play Is The True Work of a Child!

Play has been defined to include elements such as spontaneity, intrinsic (or internal) motivation, pleasure, free joyous qualities, and self-direction. Play is one of the most important phenomena of childhood occupation (Chandler, 1997; Musselwhite, 1989). Play is a vehicle that allows a child to access and explore his or her world. In and through play, a child is able to develop the skills which expand his or her physical, cognitive and emotional abilities. In essence, much truth can be found in the adage that play is the true work of a child.