The Catalan government will approve today a decree that regulate the operation of the toy libraries in Catalonia. So far the toy libraries functioned as nurseries, thanks to the legal vacuum that existed, but without the inspections or the requirements that the daycare centers have to meet.
The toy libraries will now have to follow a series of measures to comply with what is required in the decree, the most prominent being the obligation that children under 4 years of age must be accompanied at all times by an authorized person.
The decree also integrates the characteristics that these centers must have and specifies that the minimum area of useful space for the game must be a minimum of 50 square meters. To determine the capacity, it is established that each user must have 2.5 square meters. As for the workers of the center, it is essential that there be a coordinator with a minimum degree of Vocational Training of a higher degree in the socio-educational field.
This is a necessary measure after the death of a baby last year in a toy library in Horta-Guinardó and after the case of abuse in another toy library in Vilanova i la Geltrú, which showed that something had to be done to regulate the sector .
The Generalitat considers that it will also serve to know exactly how many toy libraries there are in Catalonia, since they will have 18 months to be regulated according to the new decree or disappear if they do not meet the required conditions.
Surely this measure will affect many families who take their children to the toy libraries, however, as we have said at the beginning, the toy libraries are not nurseries, they were exercising as such thanks to the existing legal vacuum and therefore offered an unregulated service.
What is really a playroom according to the Generalitat
A toy library is a center for children and young people up to 16 years of age to promote integral development through a fun and creative activity. Children up to 4 years old must go with authorized persons.
You need a coordinator with a minimum degree of higher level FP in the socio-educational field. The rest of the members must have at least a medium degree degree or a monitor diploma and be under the direction of another team member.
They must have a useful space for the game of at least 50 square meters and a maximum capacity to be established by applying the proportion of 2.5 square meters of useful space per user for the game.
The ratio of professionals to users must be one professional for every 12 children under 6 years and one professional for every 15 children over 6 years.
The playroom must have a welcome area, playground, administration and management area, warehouse and toilets.
