A Journey of Education and Inspiration: A recent trip to Topeka, Kansas, offered a powerful combination of celebrating a historic civil rights milestone and learning about an innovative program at the Kansas Children's Discovery Center. The occasion was the 70th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling, which outlawed segregation in public schools. It was an honor to join Dene' Mosier, President/CEO of the Discover Center, and a distinguished group of guests, including Topeka's Mayor, City Council members, state legislators and Discovery Center Board members.
We were particularly pleased to be joined by children’s museum leaders from other states, including Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus, Louisiana Children's Museum, KidsQuest Children's Museum of Bellevue, Washington,The Regnier Family Wonderscope Children's Museum of Kansas City, Lincoln Children's Museum, Children's Museum Tucson and Kearney Area Children's Museum. We all celebrated this pivotal moment in the fight for racial equality.
The visit was further enriched by the opening of a captivating exhibit, "Picture the Dream: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement through Children's Books." It served as a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggle for justice and the importance of educating future generations.
My colleagues and I made the short drive from Topeka to Kansas City where we were hosted at the exceptional Wonderscope Children’s Museum by Roxane Hill, Executive Director and her Board Chair, Sara Prem. Making certain to follow local customs if not laws, we also visited Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que, the original gas station location.
During my time with Dené, I learned more about and was particularly impressed by the Discovery Center’s "Play Free" program. This program offers a unique opportunity for children and their incarcerated parents (including grandparents in some cases) to forge strong bonds through play-based learning experiences.
Launched in 2018, Play Free initially focused on mothers visiting the museum with their children. Now, in 2024, it has expanded to serve fathers and juvenile parents across Kansas, offering a nurturing space outside prison walls, both at the museum and through the Discovery Center's mobile program.
This commitment to strengthening family connections during incarceration resonates with the Children's Museum of Manhattan’s(CMOM) recent installation at Rosie M. Singer's Visitor Center on Rikers Island. This initiative aims to enhance the experience of children visiting their incarcerated mothers by creating dedicated spaces for interaction and support.
Kudos to CMOM's President and CEO, Dava Schub and Leslie Bushara, Chief Program Officer and the entire CMOM team for their dedication to New York families. These initiatives serve as inspiring examples, and we hope they will motivate others to create similar programs.
#Children #Museums #Togetherness #Family #Dreams
