The Pittsburgh Toy Lending Library was started in 1975 to provide young children and their parents and caregivers with a safe and fun place to play and access to high-quality, age-appropriate toys for home play. Nearly thirty years later, we're still going strong, providing babies and young children through age six with an ever-expanding variety of toys to encourage the kind of open-ended, imaginative play that builds creativity, logical thinking and social skills. The Toy Library also provides a relaxed atmosphere for mothers, fathers, and other caregivers to meet and discuss the ins and outs of child-rearing (and life!) while their children play. It's a great place to bring babies, whose rapidly-expanding awareness can be stimulated with developmentally appropriate toys and "big kids" to watch and emulate! And it's an information resource, a base for parents to explore Pittsburgh with their children.

The Pittsburgh Toy Lending Library is a co-operative, or co-op for short. A group of diverse people from all over Pittsburgh work together to make the Toy Library work. They are all parents and volunteers. Their volunteer hours keep us running, their ideas keep us growing, and when you come to play at the Toy Library, you will see that your presence makes a community which is dedicated to children, families, learning, and fun. Plus your children will get a first-hand view of the way cooperation works. In a co-op, everyone contributes a little bit to make great big things happen!

Our mission is to create a safe and fun place for children to play; provide children with toys and activities that foster motor, language, social, emotional and leadership skills and building healthy families; and to welcome families of all races, religions, and economic levels and encourage respectful interactions.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact any one of our Board of Directors.

The Pittsburgh Toy Lending Library (PTLL) as founded as a non-profit, volunteer-run organization operating in the East End of Pittsburgh since November 1974. We began in a storefront on Ellsworth Avenue, then moved in October of 1975 to the basement of the First United Methodist Church. Since February of 1999 we have been on the first floor of the Fellowship Hall addition to the First United Methodist Church with an entrance at street level on Centre Avenue. Our current location offers over 2700 square feet of play area.