Cecil B. Moore Library gets a playful update

At the Cecil B. Moore branch of the Free Library in North Philadelphia, kids and teenagers can do more than just read. They can play, too.

In recently added spaces, kids can use a climbing wall and make obstacle courses with large blocks. In the back of the library stands a robot bunny that the kids created from papier-mâché and aluminum tubing. With the play spaces and all the afterschool activities the library offers, kids are frequent visitors.

In December, the Cecil B. Moore branch was the first of three library branches to receive learn and play spaces funded by the William Penn and Knight Foundations. The Whitman and Wyoming Free Library branches debuted play spaces on June 18.

“One of our best climbers is 4. She’s awesome,” said Cecil B. Moore children’s librarian Kayla Hoskinson.

Elliot Weinbaum, director of the Great Learning Program at the William Penn Foundation, said they invested $400,000 in the three library branches and are now evaluating how the spaces are performing.