2021-609-E-Arts Commission-KIDZU-Restart the Arts

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Please explain the impact of your organization on the Orange County community in a typical year. Kidzu Children’s Museum serv es as a hub for creativ e and innov ativ e learning for all Orange County families. Located at Univ ersity Place near downtown Chapel Hill and one mile from the Univ ersity of North Carolina, Kidzu’s physical site houses 9,000sq of exhibits, designed to reflect the ethos of our community and to engage young children in exploration, collaboration, creativ ity and 21st century skill-building. From a multi-story indoor treehouse, to exhibits inspired by the local farm-to-fork mov ement, to a performance space housing multiple opportunities for dramatic play, to a literacy area highlighted by the work of local authors, Kidzu prov ides a wealth of experiential activ ities for children ages infant to pre-teen. The epicenter of the v isitor experience is The Makery - the first maker space designed specifically for young children in the Southeast. Pre-pandemic, we serv ed approximately 65-80,000 v isitors per year in our museum space, with approximately 45% of v isitors being Orange County residents. Our monthly open-access Sundays allowed for all families to v isit, regardless of their ability to pay, and brought in ov er 1,000 v isitors per month. Additionally, before the pandemic, Kidzu partnered with many local Orange County social serv ice agencies to prov ide sponsored organizational memberships, to allow those families to v isit Kidzu and our many exhibits whenev er they like. In June 2020, Kidzu receiv ed Smart Start funds from the Orange County Partnership for Young Children to facilitate weekly, ev idence- based supported playgroups targeting Orange County, FFN (family, friend, and neighbor) caregiv ers and children ages 0-3 years. W hile FFN care is prev alent across socioeconomic and racial-ethnic groups, the families most likely to use it are low-to-moderate income, Latino or African American, and refugees and immigrants (Packard Foundation). Dev eloped with support from UNC-CH’s FPG Child Dev elopment Center, the playgroups are prov ided at no cost to children and caregiv ers throughout Orange County. These playgroups prov ide dev elopmentally appropriate activ ities for young children to do at home with their families, and the curriculum heav ily emphasizes the importance of utilizing the arts as a tool for ov erall dev elopment. In 2020-2021, Kidzu offered 28 playgroups and interacted with 22 unique families. Kidzu has receiv ed funding in 2021-2022 to expand these playgroups to ev en more Orange County families. Kidzu designed our exhibit spaces in collaboration with many local artists, and we continually inv ite artists back into the space for programming purposes. Our “Mix it Up” in the Makery series allows local artists to interact with families in our Makery, and expose children to a v ariety of artistic mediums and methods. Additionally, we welcome local authors and theatrical organizations (such as Puppet Inc., Center Theater, etc.) into our Forest Theater for book readings, theatrical performances, and other activ ities. Pre- pandemic, artists were prov ided with a stipend for their time and serv ices in our museum space. DocuSign Envelope ID: 18FE1632-1968-4813-8295-6CB28BF1FBB7