November "Early Learning Partners" Program Helps Parents Find and Afford Quality Childcare
Kidzu Children's Museum is pleased to announce that our November "Early Learning Partners" Program will provide free information and guidance on finding and affording quality childcare in our community. The Early Learning Partners Program is funded, in part, by the Orange County Partnership for Young Children with Smart Start Funds. During our new Free Sundays sponsored by Durham Regional Hospital, parents will receive free information about finding and affording quality child care. A representative of Child Care Services Assocation will be onsite on Sunday, November 9th to answer questions about finding and affording child care in our community. Child Care Services Association is a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring affordable, accessible, high quality child care for all families.
Kidzu Receives Sustainable Nonprofit of the Year Award
Kidzu Children's Museum was honored to receive the Sustainable Nonprofit of the Year Award from the Foundation for a Sustainable Community. The award is made for "demonstrated commitment through action to improving the quality of our environment, investing in our diverse community, and growing a successful business with a positive impact on our economy." Kidzu's nomination was based, in part, on its educational initiatives including a new exhibit celebrating our community ("KidZoom: The Power of Creativity") and its outreach to families in need, as well as the museum's economic impact in drawing families and children to Chapel Hill's downtown and its efforts in the area of environmental sustainability.
Kids Count at Kidzu!
Kidzu has unveiled a pint-sized voting booth to allow the youngest members of our community to learn about the democratic process. Kidzu's "Kids Count Campaign" will invite our young visitors to cast their ballots and help shape our exhibit, "KidZoom: The Power of Creativity." From now through November 4th, the Kidzu polls are open.
Children visiting the museum will be asked to weigh in on the next ball color to be added to Kidzu's Gravitron. The Gravitron is an inventive machine that allows kids to launch balls with a giant Archimedes screw and race them along tracks of their own design. Children can select among four color choices for the new balls: Purple, green, yellow and orange. The ball color receiving the most votes will be added to the Gravitron.
This will be the first of several votes that Kidzu will hold as part of our "Kids Count Campaign," which will allow children's voices to shape our interactive exhibit. Kidzu offers a special thanks to Chapel Hill
artisan Jeff Johnson, who created Kidzu's voting booth from locally salvaged
wood.
Be sure to stop by Kidzu to let your children cast a ballot
and pick up an "I voted at Kidzu" sticker. It's a great way to have
fun and help your children learn about the voting process. We can't wait to see
you at Kidzu, where kids count.
October is Dental Health Month at Kidzu!
Free Dental Screenings Sunday, October 12th, 1-4:30 pm
With Halloween just around the corner, it's the perfect time to think about dental health! Young children and their families are invited to visit Kidzu Children's Museum on Sunday, October 12th to learn how to keep their teeth and gums healthy. Kidzu's Dental Health Day is the first in a series of monthly programs featuring free child development and child health resources for families. A public health hygienist will be at Kidzu between 1:00-4:30 pm on Sunday, October 12th to provide free dental screenings for children, free toothbrushes, and information about how to keep teeth healthy and strong during infancy and childhood. Throughout the month of October, Kidzu will also be distributing free dental health information for families.
Admission will be free of charge all day on Sunday, October 12th as part of Kidzu's new Free Sundays Program. This event is supported, in part, by the Orange County Partnership for Young Children with Smart Start funds and offered in partnership with the Orange County Health Department, Dental Health Services Division and the NC Division of Public Health, NC Oral Health Section. Admission costs are generously underwritten by Durham Regional Hospital.
Kidzu Announces Free Sundays at Kidzu
Sponsored by Durham Regional Hospital and New Caregiver Resource Program funded by the Orange County Partnership for Young Children
Beginning on
Sunday, September 21st, Kidzu will be open
for FREE every Sunday for the next year.
Durham Regional Hospital is generously
underwriting admission fees on Sundays.
And, beginning in October, free Sundays will
get even better with free child development
and child health
resources for families at Kidzu. With
generous funding from the
Orange County Partnership for Young
Children, Kidzu will
offer free dental health screenings, guidance
on raising healthy children,
information on finding and affording quality
childcare and much
more. Program partners will include Durham
Regional Hospital, the Orange County Health
Department Dental Health Services Division,
Child Care Services Association, the Chapel
Hill Public Library, and many more.
This grant will also allow Kidzu
to offer free field trips to local children
from low-income backgrounds. And, it provides
funding to hire an Outreach Coordinator to
ensure that children in need throughout
Orange County have access to Kidzu's playful
learning experiences.
Thanks to our generous sponsors and partners,
Kidzu will have even more to offer you, your
family and our entire
community.
