I agree that logically there are higher priorities, a child’s development isn’t completely logical. I think allowing them to participate in the same activities as their peers is important. Stuff we might think is dumb as adults can have a big impact on kids, and homeless kids are already at a disadvantage as far as fitting in.
In my experience the only thing that makes a material professional grade is a paper trail. If something goes wrong and you get sued you want to be able to absolutely prove you didn’t cheap out on any of the materials. It adds a lot of cost to keep batches separate and making sure none of the paperwork gets mixed up. Especially if multiple companies are involved in creating and distributing the material. I work in an ISO compliant shop and we have a lot of folders moving around with different orders, it can be a nightmare keeping everything straight when things are busy.