Our project aims to create a community-shared collection of imagination play blocks for children in Newburgh particularly used for the community Newburgh Pride family tent hosted by Safe Harbors and the Newburgh Pride Committee in June of this year!
As the director of a small but might Montessori preschool Little Friends Learning Loft, I believe play is a FUNDAMENTAL right of children! Decades of research have demonstrated the wide benefits of self-directed play for children's mental and physical well-being and development. These benefits extend to improved literacy rates, healing from trauma, stronger community ties, and social engagement. Whatever successes we wish for our Newburgh children, play can help achieve them.

These large, lightweight foam blocks will be available for community borrowing, enabling children to build, connect, and create endless possibilities at multiple venues: our local farmers market at Safe Harbors on the Green, the family tent we're hosting at Newburgh Pride, storytimes at local bookstores, and even birthday parties. By housing these blocks locally, we're creating a centralized resource that organizations and families can access, transforming imaginative play into a community asset rather than something limited to those who can afford expensive materials. In defense of play as a fundamental right, we're creating a resource that promotes self-directed creativity for all children. This project is fundamentally about defending children's right to open play in an increasingly structured world.

Basically, play is the ROCKET FUEL for brain development!