Early Learning: Play with Purpose Playgroup

In association with the San Francisco Department of Early Childhood
Monday, 1/26/2026
11:30 - 12:30
Glen Park Meeting Room
Glen Park

2825 Diamond Street
San Francisco, CA 94131
United States

415-355-2858

Play with Purpose is a 9-week, facilitated playgroup for families with young children ages 0–3 with mild to moderate concerns about child development centered around research-based, playful ways to support children’s emerging literacy, language skills and learning. Join this group from January 6th-March 16th to discover and practice how to read and play in developmentally meaningful ways.

Participants in Play with Purpose at the library receive free books and toys every week along with professional and personal support. They will also get guidance in use of the Sparkler app made available for free to all San Francisco residents through association with the San Francisco Department of Early Childhood.

Space limited. Reservations required. If you have difficulty accessing the sign up form, you may ask for assistance at the library.

The SF Department of Early Childhood selected Sparkler and the National Center for Families Learning to work with local organizations in San Francisco to provide developmental playgroups to families with children 0–3 years old. Sparkler is a mobile app, in English, Spanish, and Chinese on Android/iOS, smartphones and tablets. Through the Sparkler app families get:

  • Developmental screening (ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2) to check in on their child’s development. 
  • A library of 2,000 playful activities created by early childhood educators to help parents and children play off screen to promote learning.
  • Connection with professionals — Parents can tap into answers and a network of support from local programs and care coordinators at Support for Families.

Health & Wellness

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Disability/Accessibility Interest

Events for adults and children with disabilities, their families, friends and allies.

Parenting

Programs for parents and caregivers spotlighting early literacy and child development.

Spotlight

This program is sponsored by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

Attending Programs

All programs are drop-in (no registration necessary) unless otherwise noted. All SFPL locations are wheelchair accessible. For accommodations (such as ASL), call (415) 557-4557 or contact accessibility@sfpl.org. Requesting at least 3 business days in advance will help ensure availability.

This program will be conducted in English unless otherwise noted.

Notice: This event may be filmed or photographed. By participating in this event, you consent to have your likeness used for the Library’s archival purposes and promotional materials. If you do not want to be photographed, please inform a staff person or the photographer. A sticker will be provided to help identify you so that we can avoid capturing your image.

Public Notice and Disclaimer

This program uses a third-party website link. By clicking on the third-party website link, you will leave SFPL's website and enter a website not operated by SFPL. This service may collect personally identifying information about you, such as name, username, email address, and password. This service will treat the information it collects about you pursuant to its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of each third-party website or service that you visit or use, including those third parties with whom you interact through our Library services. For more information about these third-party links, please see the section of SFPL’s Privacy Policy describing Links to Other Sites.

The views and opinions expressed in programs presented by groups unaffiliated with SFPL do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SFPL or the City.