Mobile Play Van

About this pattern

Mobile play vans are free services offered by local councils. They are targeted at children ages six and under (the preschool population).  They offer a regular schedule of safe and creative play and socialisation space, and a chance for families with pre-school aged children to meet and socialise, most often in local parks. These services will be important when parks or other amenities are not yet completed or have not yet matured. They are of great value in communities where residents with young children have limited  capacity to travel to community centres or other facilities.

Pattern Conditions

Enablers

• Council support is important.
• High-quality shade is essential if playgrounds are to be accessible during summer, while allowing for sunlight is important for comfortable winter access. Adaptable shade cover, for instance, deciduous trees and screens should be considered where appropriate.
• Designing for accessibility ensures that all community members can make use of a Play Van, including children with mobility restrictions, visual impairments and so on.

Constraints

• Mobile play vans require safe open space that is situated away from traffic but is also accessible for staff and participants.
• Current mobile play van programs do not run in conditions of extreme heat.  They have also been suspended by some councils because of Covid-19, pointing to children’s health and public health risks in general that have to be taken into consideration.
• The success of these programs depends upon council’s willingness to fund outreach programs and to shoulder associated liabilities. These sorts of interventions become less important as community and community amenities mature.

Commoning Concerns

Play vans as public commons

Ownership: Local Government; the community of users should also be encouraged to have a sense of ownership.

Access: Children under age six and their family.

Use: Active and passive play by children; socialisation opportunity for caregivers of young children.

Benefit: Gives children access to space to play; inclusion of movable and adaptable resources encourages creative play; play outdoors has health benefits and lessens the use of air conditioning for indoor play.

Care: Local Government generally has formal authority; local communities, however, play an important role in ongoing careful use.

Programs like this should also make accommodations for the comfort of care-providers during play activities. If the goal is community belonging and cohesion, a chance for meaningful interaction among care providers of young children is of equal importance.  Programs could be improved through incorporation of volunteer help, and with that comes the need to ensure child-safety through background checks.