Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
DocuSign Envelope ID:56A5C00E-OF80-4BDF-A1A7-5530FODB9396 <br /> CHLORIN' MUSEUM <br /> 1. Please give a brief description of your organization, including mission, board and staff <br /> composition, current arts programs and services and number and kinds of people served. <br /> Public schools and other large governmental or community agencies should provide a <br /> description of their arts program only rather than the entire organization. (250 words or less) <br /> Kidzu Children's Museum is an educational, interactive museum for children and families that <br /> opened in March, 2006 in downtown Chapel Hill. Our mission is to inspire children and the <br /> adults in their lives to learn through creative play. The museum focuses on 4 broad themes— <br /> the arts, STEM/STEAM education, child health and wellness and emerging literacy. We offer <br /> hands-on exhibits and interactive, interdisciplinary programs designed to foster creativity, 21st <br /> century skills, and a love of learning. Kidzu provides outreach to children in need through a <br /> range of free programs for schools and families, including free field trips for schools, preschools <br /> and child care centers with free admission for classrooms serving substantial numbers of <br /> children in need; free and "pay what you can" family days; and off-site outreach. Kidzu serves <br /> 100,000 children, families and schools of Orange, Durham, and Chatham counties, nearby <br /> portions of Alamance and Wake counties, as well as visitors from other areas of North Carolina <br /> and beyond. Our target age range is children infant to tween, and the adults who care for them. <br /> The long-term vision of Kidzu's 19 board members, 45 staff, and over 100 volunteers is to build a <br /> permanent children's museum in Chapel Hill/Carrboro that would be a model of excellence in <br /> celebrating and reflecting the uniqueness of our community through interactive, informal <br /> learning. In collaboration with regional academic, educational, and creative experts, we will <br /> implement playful, evidence-based, educational approaches that enhance children's learning <br /> and development from their earliest years, helping each child in our community reach his/her <br /> fullest potential. <br /> 2. Offer a brief summary of the proposed project. <br /> "Researchers who have tracked children's creativity for 50 years are seeing a significant <br /> decrease in creativity among children for the first time, especially younger children from <br /> kindergarten through sixth grade." <br /> --Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Professor of Early Childhood Education at Lesley University, 2012 <br /> Kidzu is seeking $3,000 from the Orange County Arts Commission for a series of programs that <br /> will be offered free of charge to museum visitors which are designed to inspire children and <br /> demonstrate some of the ways creativity influences various careers in our community. Curating <br /> Creativity programs are designed to address the alarming decreases in creativity that have been <br /> documented by researchers in the United States, particularly among young children, while <br /> capitalizing on what Kidzu does best. Drawing from a wealth of resources within our local <br /> community, Curating Creativity activities will continue Kidzu's tradition of sharing the <br /> exceptional creative capital of the Orange County area with those who deserve it most our <br /> young children. <br /> 21 I <br /> hrtw 11(0, I+1( <br /> ololo'It'1 If I (2r <br />