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Quality
Control
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By
Michele
Lau The business plan for Access Quality Toys is simple: provide parents with greater access to educational or therapeutic toys by making them available on the Internet. The idea originated with Jo Murphy Hyland, MS, OTR, director of Children’s Therapy Center Inc. in Camarillo, Calif. Hyland often found exceptional toys for her patients at local toy stores, but when the patients’ parents tried to purchase the toys, they were sometimes no longer in stock or difficult to find. So Murphy joined forces with her husband, Donald Heath, and clinical psychologist Valerie Cummings, PhD, to create the online toy store AccessQualityToys.com. No junk here The venture, which began in 1997, was initially designed to target children with special needs. “But then we decided all parents could use access to toys that were sound developmentally. There are so many parents buying toys we think are junk,” said Hyland, who runs the partnership from her Ventura, Calif., home. “Junk” classifies toys that are violent and nonproductive, she said. “Because parents are busier, they don’t have time to research what’s good, or maybe they do, but they don’t know where to get it.” Hyland and Cummings, who are both parents, focus on toys that have a positive impact on a child’s development as well as the family. By using the Internet—instead of opening a store—Access Quality Toys can better reach a niche market, as well as cut costs, offer flexible working hours, and open the company to a worldwide market. Special knowledge Cummings believes that it’s their professional healthcare knowledge that sets them apart from competitors. Hyland was an instructor of child development at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, and Cummings works with children and families at the Children’s Therapy Center. Both feel that Access Quality Toys is a creative way to use their skills outside of traditional healthcare services. Each toy must meet certain criteria to be featured on AccessQualityToys.com. Hyland and Cummings try to find toys that are made in the United States from natural materials. Their primary focus, however, is on good-quality toys that improve a child’s development by promoting speech and language, social interaction, and fine and gross motor skills. “The way Jo and I look at toys is different than the way a buyer for a large company would look at a toy,” Cummings said. While a buyer for a large company may be interested in profitability, Access Quality Toys is more concerned with the product’s ability to be engaging, effective, and appropriate. Kid-tested Before hitting the Web site, the toys are tested by therapists working with Hyland and Cummings at the Children’s Therapy Center. Once the professionals approve the products for safety and productivity, children at the clinic put them to the test. “Quality is a big thing. These toys won’t break within the hour the parent buys them,” Hyland said. A personal touch keeps the company’s customers coming back. “They have a heart of gold,” said loyal customer Laura Valdez, the mother of three children with disabilities. Valdez turns to Access Quality Toys for durable merchandise that develops children’s visual perception or fine motor skills. The Web site, which receives between 25 and 85 hits per day, features roughly 75 products. Toys cover the entire age span, with products for infants to games appropriate for all family members. As for now, Hyland and Cummings hope Access Quality Toys grows slowly. “We would like people to click onto our store and feel confident, and know we’ve really thought about what we’re doing,” said Cummings. |
