impact youth mental health through playdates
effortless playdates. a sense of belonging.
better outomes. all free.
what is time to play?
Time to Play is a secure, community-driven platform designed to proactively address the youth mental health crisis by fostering genuine connections among children through playdates.
It simplifies playdate scheduling and fosters inclusion, ensuring every child has equal access to meaningful friendships – a critical protective factor against isolation, anxiety, and depression.
When children feel a sense of belonging, they engage better in learning, leading to improved focus, reduced behavioral issues, and better academic outcomes.
see it in action
game-changer - Anna
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It's so simple yet complete - Susan
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I wish I had this when my kids were small - Karla
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scheduling playdates is so easy! - Nate
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game-changer - Anna *** It's so simple yet complete - Susan *** I wish I had this when my kids were small - Karla *** scheduling playdates is so easy! - Nate ***
game-changer - Anna
***
It's so simple yet complete - Susan
***
I wish I had this when my kids were small - Karla
***
scheduling playdates is so easy! - Nate
***
game-changer - Anna *** It's so simple yet complete - Susan *** I wish I had this when my kids were small - Karla *** scheduling playdates is so easy! - Nate ***
game-changer - Anna
***
It's so simple yet complete - Susan
***
scheduling playdates is so easy! - Nate
***
I wish I had this when my kids were small - Karla
***
game-changer - Anna *** It's so simple yet complete - Susan *** scheduling playdates is so easy! - Nate *** I wish I had this when my kids were small - Karla ***
why partner with time to play ?
Strengthen Connections. Boost youth Well-Being.
mental health and social skills for kids
Nurture Whole-Child Wellbeing. Boost Achievement.
Foster Friendship & Inclusion: Every child gains equal access to friendship regardless of language, identity, or social class, combating isolation, bullying and loneliness.
Deepen Existing Bonds: Strengthen and enrich current friendships, developing critical social skills.
Combat Anxiety & Depression: Strong friendships at an early age buffer against youth mental health challenges well into teen and adulthood.
Boost Academic Performance: Meaningful social connections are directly linked to improved engagement & school success.
More Social, Less Media: Combat the negative effects of media overuse by providing easy to schedule, unstructured social interactions as an alternative.
Eliminate Language Barriers: Different languages in your school? No problem! The app is web-based so families can use any browser translator to fully engage with other parents.
make it easy for parents - so playdates actually happen
Remove Barriers for Parents. Encourage Social Interaction.
Schedule Playdates in 20 Seconds: No more tracking down contact info, cold texting, or comparing schedules.
See Times that Work for Everyone: The platform cross-references each child’s typical availability to show you times that should work for everyone.
Safe and Secure Classroom Groups: Connect with other verified parents in your child's class in a secure setting for worry-free playdates and birthday party planning.
Everyone’s in the Loop: All caregivers get direct access to playdate details and chat, no middleman.
Completely Free: Time to Play will always be a completely free resource to schools and families so every child has equal access to friendship.
New Adult Friendships and Support: Being a parent is hard and lonely at time. Playdates for kids open up more critical social connections for us grown-ups too!
do playdates even matter?
hi there, I’m Esther.
It all started in 2021 when I was crying on my husband’s schoulder on the playground because my 4 year old couldn’t play with other kids. She hadn’t played with anyone in a year.
So when she went to kindergarten I was terrified she would struggle to make friends. Now I grew up in a military family and we moved often, so being able to make friends was as important as breathing or ice cream. That’s all I wanted for my children.
Months went by where she said she had no friends at school. It felt like an eternity of lonely lunchboxes and playground frowns before my kindergartener finally burst through the door, eyes shining. “I want a playdate with Faith!” she declared. I was thrilled she finally made a friend.
My excitement quickly became panic. Suddenly I was asking myself, “How the hell am I even gonna do that? Tracking down the parents' contact info, the endless texting trying to compare calendars, figuring out where to go... It’s like coordinating drinks with your busiest friend through two 5 year old intermediaries. Impossible!
together, we dreamed every child had a friend.
Two years later, that same neurodivergent child and I sat down to draw the plans for Time to Play. Together, we dreamed of a world where every child is included and has equal access to friendship. Through playdates, they develop those crucial social skills and connections that set the foundation for self-confidence and well-being. And because neurodivergence, childhood anxiety, and isolation are on the rise, these friendships are more critical than they have ever been.
Kids thrive when Time to Play is adopted school-wide, creating a real culture of inclusion. We partner with PTAs and school leadership for successful implementation. Your intro to the PTA leader, school social worker, or SEL lead at your school would be invaluable, helping ensure every child builds crucial social skills and lasting friendships.
are you with us?
Photo credit: holly strebel photography
your questions, answered
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Time to Play is a free website/app designed to make scheduling playdates easier and foster stronger connections among families in our school community. It simplifies the process of arranging playdates, parties, and other social gatherings for children.
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It’s FREE! We’re so invested in making friendship as accessible as possible, Time to Play has a free and a premium version. Premium membership is $4/mo and also includes:
Setup group playdates
Setup parties
Calendar integration
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Time to Play is by invite only. Caregivers can gain access by being invited by another existing user or by a trusted organization such as your school, community organization, church, sports team, etc.
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About 1 hour a year to update the names of the groups and teachers. We also ask that you print flyers to put in each child’s Friday Folder at the beginning of the school year.
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Yes, Time to Play makes it easy to cordinate any type of gathering for children, including playdates, parties, playground or pool meetups. You can easily invite the whole class.
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Request an invite link from your school or friends, create a free account, and enter the school promo code [Promo Code] to unlock premium access for 6 months (for a limited time).
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You can request your school be added to our launch waitlist on our website! Please be patient as we roll-out as many schools as quickly as possible.
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Once you've joined your child's grade-level group, you will be able to schedule playdates with others in that group. You can also add a connection directly by entering the caregivers phone number and inviting them to connect.
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Time to Play makes scheduling easy! You propose three locations you are comfortable with, suggest some times that work for both of you and click “Create Event”. The other caregiver selects the options that work best for them and boom, you’re scheduled! You will receive notification that your playdate has been confirmed.
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Yes. We are parents too, so safety is our top priority. Time to Play uses encryption to protect your data, both at rest and in transit. You control who you connect with. You only interact with families who are also part of your child's group or with whom you choose to connect.
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The short answer is no. Time to Play is invite only for this reason. The only way to register is to be invited by another parent on the app, or by an authorized group like a school or church.
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Caregivers within a group are invited and verified by the group's admin. Make sure you know and trust your group admin. This is usually the school PTA, teacher, or another trusted leader of the group.
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Your family is the most precious thing, as it should be. All data on the app is encrypted in transit and at rest on an AWS encrypted server. That means that should the server be hacked or intercepted, it would be indistingushable.
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You control who you connect with. Only parents you choose to connect with will be able to see your information. There is no ability to search or browse profiles. If you join a group, like your school’s 2nd grade, the other caregivers will be able to see your child’s photo, first name and last initial only. Groups are also by invite only so anyone in the group was invited by a trusted group admin such as a school PTA or kid’s team’s coach.
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You can report any concerns to your group admin or support@timetoplayscheduler.com
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Please contact your PTA or school administration to get it added.
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Please contact the Time to Play support team at Support@timetoplay.com