Visit Us
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A Space to Play
Our play space is designed to engage young children. We carefully select each item with the developmental needs of children from birth through kindergarten in mind. Some toys encourage children to imagine, play pretend, or create. Some encourage cognitive development through design and problem-solving. Some encourage physical development through big movement and active play. We have a special area for infants and a space just for art. We especially focus on toys that allow for open-ended play and avoid electronic toys.
Volunteer Members Only:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 6:30am - 12:30pm
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 6:30am - 9:30am
Non-Volunteer & Volunteer Members:
Monday, Tuesday: 12:30 - 4:00pm
Wednesday, Thursday: 12:30 - 7:00pm
All non-volunteer and volunteer members also have free entry to all public play hours.
Lending memberships do not offer any entry to play sessions, just access to our lending collection during public sessions.
No membership needed
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday:
9:30am - 12pm
Monday:
4:00pm - 6:30pm
Your first visit is free. See you then!
See calendar above for our public play sessions this month.
NEW! See our full calendar here for timing of public play and member sessions.
We offer two types of play sessions:
1) Public Play Sessions
These play sessions are open to all and no advance reservation is required. The visitor fee is $5/child with a maximum of $10/family. These sessions will be staffed by volunteers. You can pay the guest fee for a drop-in session here. Electronic or cash payment can also be made upon arrival for public play sessions.
Volunteer and Non-Volunteer members can attend public play sessions for free as part of their membership; Lending members are required to pay the visitor fee.
Guest fees are waived for the following visitors:
(1) First-time visitors
(2) Infants below the age of one
(3) Single-use family-pass holders
(4) ACCESS card holders
Our public hours depend on volunteer availability and are subject to change. Follow us on social media for up-to-date information.
2) Members-Only Play Sessions
You MUST be an active PTLL Member (Volunteer or Non-Volunteer) who has completed a New Member Orientation to attend these sessions. Pre-registration/reservation for play sessions is no longer required or accepted. Please check our Facebook page, website and/or your inbox before you come, just in case we are closed for any reason. There will not be a volunteer present during these sessions. Learn more about our members-only play session guidelines.
Infants and toddlers under age two will enjoy a special area just for them. This section of the space is surrounded by a gate to allow these youngest players to explore, safely separated from the more rambunctious older children. This shoe-free section is designed for the tiniest babies, rollers, crawlers, and new walkers.
Our space also includes an eating area with kid-sized tables and chairs. Our kitchen has a sink, microwave, refrigerator, electric kettle, and plates/cups/silverware for use by members and visitors. We stock coffee and a variety of kid-friendly snacks that can be purchased for a nominal fee. Visitors are also welcome to bring in their own food and beverages.
Our play space is always changing and evolving! Our toys get a lot of love, and the normal wear-and-tear adds up. We phase out old, worn-out, and broken items as needed to make room for exciting new toys. The space already looks a little bit different from these photos, but hopefully, they give you an idea of what to expect.
Our Art Room
In this creative space, your young artist can use any of our tools and materials as they design a masterpiece. We've got paints, markers, crayons, glue, tape, stencils, stamps, and so many other supplies. For some fun sensory play, your child can use our homemade play dough. The art room is now open during public and members-only sessions! Please remember that an adult must always accompany children in the art room and you are responsible for cleaning up any supplies when you are finished.
Meet at PTLL
La Leche League currently utilizes our space to meet in the evening on the second Tuesday of every month. Pittsburgh Black Breastfeeding Circle meets in the evening on the first Tuesday of every month. If your organization would be interested in utilizing our space, contact us today.
We also have Play Pods, which are affinity groups designed to help connect toy library members and visitors with shared interests. Check out the Play Pod page under the "Visit Us" section for more details.
