The Discovery Center is celebrating its 10th birthday this week. The nonprofit children’s museum, located in Topeka’s Gage Park, opened to the public on June 1, 2011. The organization will celebrate the occasion from June 2 to 6 with free admission for all 10 year olds, a 10 percent discount on all gift shop merchandise, and pop-up programs throughout the week.

Over the past ten years, the organization has grown significantly, gaining prominence as a regional tourist attraction and community anchor for families. The museum has hosted five major traveling exhibitions. Access Discovery Programs, which ensure museum access for all children, now account for more than 10 percent of admissions and thousands more children served in community outreach events. Since opening in 2011, the museum has hosted over 700,000 visitors from all 50 states and 23 countries. President/CEO Dené Mosier has led the museum since 2015.

The museum saw record attendance in 2019, hosting 97,989 visitors. Visitors to the children’s museum increased 10.81 percent from 2018, when 88,423 visitors set the previous attendance record. Of the museum’s 97,989 visitors in 2019, 28.97 percent lived outside Shawnee County. Over 3,000 visitors came from outside Kansas in 2019, including five foreign countries. The museum celebrated its 700,000th visitor in February of 2020, shortly before closure.

The pandemic presented significant challenges to the privately-funded museum, which closed for four months and lost 93 percent of projected admission and membership income in 2020. Despite the losses, the museum served families throughout the pandemic. Shortly after closing the building in March, museum staff called and emailed thousands of local families to find out about their needs and responded with online activity videos and learning kit deliveries. Activities helped families use play to explore science, technology, engineering, art and math. Discovery at Home online videos were viewed over 400,000 times, and nearly 3,000 learning kits were distributed. Ten Discovery Play spaces, educational play installations, were installed in local parks. Museum programs have specifically targeted low-income and underserved children, out of concern for learning gaps created by limited access to educational resources for many families during the pandemic.

The museum is now open to the public with new exhibits and strict infection control measures. The Discovery Center is on a path towards financial sustainability with generous community support.

Project funded by Bartlett & West distributes 250 learning kits to kids

The Discovery Center is giving 250 free Superhero Science Discovery Kits to Boys & Girls Clubs of Topeka. The kits, which were funded by Bartlett & West, contain three different science activities that let children assemble simple machines that move objects with the power of science, a superhero mask with cape and a bilingual playbook with project ideas and profiles of science careers.

These kits will be for sale to the general public starting May 5.

"As we approach the provision of five summer enrichment programs with a commitment to safety, service and the success of every youth we reach, we could not be more thankful for such a wonderful investment in youth” said Dawn McWilliams, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Topeka. “After a year of great disruption, learning loss and social emotional challenges, the Discovery Learning kits will provide hands on learning and creative enrichment during the time when it is needed the most. We are grateful for the vision of Bartlett & West to create these kits and for the spirit of community and collaboration of Kansas Children’s Discovery Center to reach youth in our community who need us most!"

“The kits are built to encourage curiosity and experimentation,” said Caitlin Luttjohann, director of STEAM education at the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center, who designed the kits. “Each activity connects to a science career, helping children link their interests to the real work of scientists and engineers. This project is a fun way for Bartlett & West to help us build the next generation of thinkers.”

Superhero Science Kits are the latest in a series of community-based play programs from the Discovery Center. Shortly after closing the building in March, museum staff called and emailed thousands of local families to find out about their needs and responded with online activity videos and learning kit deliveries. Activities helped families use play to explore science, technology, engineering, art and math. Discovery at Home online videos were viewed over 400,000 times, and nearly 3,000 learning kits were distributed. Ten Discovery Play Spaces, bilingual, educational vinyl installations, were installed at local parks in Topeka. Museum programs have specifically targeted low-income and underserved children, out of concern for learning gaps created by limited access to educational resources for many families during the pandemic.

These projects are a continuation of existing access programs at the museum. More than one in ten Discovery Center admissions are free or donor subsidized. In 2019, these admissions included over 1,000 Museums for All visitors from families receiving TANF or WIC, and over 5,000 field trip visitors from schools with a high percentage of children receiving free or reduced cost lunches.

Starting April 14, the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center will be open both indoors and outdoors from Wednesday to Sunday for timed, ticketed entry with reduced capacity. Advance tickets are required. Masks are required. Play sessions may be reserved online at www.kansasdiscovery.org/playtime. Sessions are Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 9-12 and 1-4, Thursday 9-12, 1-4 and 5-8 and Sunday 1-4. The museum opened outdoors in July 2020, following a full closure in March 2020.

The museum is reopening with new hours and experiences. The facility will now be open every Thursday evening until 8 p.m. In addition, three new indoor exhibits will open for the first time. Illumination Station uses colorful lights, swirling colors and mirrors to create opportunities for scientific inquiry and experimentation. Illumination Station was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Ramp Racing invites visitors to design their own magnetic raceway and send cars speeding down straightaways, over ramps and around curves. Top City Build is a Topeka-themed building experience that challenges visitors to construct additions to the capital city with small and giant-size plastic bricks. New cleaning procedures and infection control policies will help reduce risk for visitors.

Across the United States, more than one in three museums will close permanently as a result of Covid-19, according to the American Alliance of Museums. Many of these museums, like the Discovery Center, are privately funded nonprofits that receive no ongoing tax dollars for operation. The Discovery Center relies on admissions to run the museum, and the museum lost 93% of projected admission and membership income in 2020. The museum is able to reopen because of community support.

The Discovery Center did extensive community work during the pandemic. Shortly after closing the building in March, museum staff called and emailed thousands of local families to find out about their needs and responded with online activity videos and learning kit deliveries. Activities helped families use play to explore science, technology, engineering, art and math. Discovery at Home online videos were viewed over 400,000 times, and nearly 3,000 learning kits were distributed. Ten Discovery Play Spaces, bilingual, educational vinyl installations, were installed at local parks in Topeka. Museum programs have specifically targeted low-income and underserved children, out of concern for learning gaps created by limited access to educational resources for many families during the pandemic.

The Discovery Center is a hands-on children’s museum with a mission to enhance the lives of children and enrich the communities it serves. Since opening in 2011 in Topeka, Kansas, the Discovery Center has become a special place where children can explore, create, discover and learn through play. The museum features over 15,000 square feet of indoor exhibits and a 4.5 acre certified Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom. Outreach programs bring quality, hands-on experiences into our community to inspire a lifelong love of learning for every child. More than 700,000 visitors from 23 countries have visited the Discovery Center.

Stormont Vail Health and the Kansas Children's Discovery Center are proud to announce a new partnership to get children back into the museum building, which has been closed since March. Stormont Vail will rent the building on weekdays beginning this Thursday, October 8 to provide no-cost childcare to Stormont Vail team members. The outdoor area of the museum, which opened in July, remains open to the public for timed, ticketed entry seven days a week.

This partnership gets children in the building again, joyfully playing, learning, and having fun,” said Dene’ Mosier, president/CEO, Discovery Center. “As health care workers care for us, we will provide the perfect place for their children by providing a safe and enriching place for playful learning. In this building, every experience is designed to help young learners thrive. While we continue to work towards reopening our indoor space safely to the public, we are excited Stormont Vail can offer this safe experience for a consistent group of children of their staff.”

“Thank you to the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center for stepping up during these times to provide some peace of mind to our team members,” said Darlene Stone, senior vice president and chief experience officer, Stormont Vail Health. “Partnerships like these allow our team members to focus on providing high-quality care to the patients and communities we serve while their child is cared for in a safe and secure environment.”

The nonprofit children’s museum is privately funded and relies primarily on admissions and other earned income to operate 15,000 square feet of indoor science, art and play exhibits and a 4.5 acre outdoor adventure area. During the pandemic, the Discovery Center has struggled to redesign indoor exhibits experiences in such a way that children from the public can visit safely in large enough numbers to cover operation costs. The museum's outdoor area will remain open and visitors from the public will never come in contact with children enrolled in the child care program. This arrangement is temporary, and the museum is still actively working towards returning to full operation.

The program will be staffed by Stormont Vail. Stormont Vail employs over 5,300 team members and is actively seeking to add new team members to join the team. Career opportunities can be found on the Stormont Vail website at https://www.stormontvail.org/career-opportunities/.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it safe to have child care inside the museum but not open to the general public?

During normal museum operation, large groups of children and families from all over the region freely explore indoor exhibit spaces. Most visitors are under five, with a large percentage under age two, for which masks are not recommended. This experience differs significantly from a child care program like that offered by Stormont Vail, in which the same group of school-age children visit each day, following daily health screenings while adhering to social distancing and mask guidelines, enforced by child care providers.

When will the museum open to the public?

The museum does not have a reopen date. It has been difficult to choose to close our building during summer, which is typically our busiest season, but we will not reopen the museum until we believe we can do so in a way that is safe for our community, visitors, staff and volunteers. The purpose of a children's museum is to allow children to move freely between exhibits and engineer their own experiences.

As a high touch, hands-on facility, we have evaluated each exhibit and experience within the museum with the help of public health experts. At least two exhibits: science, which relies on compressed air, and grain, which has thousands of touch points, cannot be opened safely at this point in the pandemic. Procedures in build and art exhibits must be significantly modified. All exhibits will require substantially more oversight, cleaning and maintenance, significantly increasing operating costs.

The museum is a privately funded nonprofit organization that receives no ongoing government funds, and must have the confidence it can sustainably operate before opening. At this time, allowing use of our outdoor area for the public and indoor area for child care is the safest option for our community and most sustainable path forward for our museum. We miss our visitors, and hope to fully open as soon as possible!

I’m a Discovery Center member, what is happening with my membership?

The Discovery Center is still working towards returning to full operation but for now, memberships may be used for unlimited outdoor play sessions. Memberships are a vitally important source of financial support for the museum, especially now. We are truly grateful for your understanding, trust and support during these exceptional times.

What is the Discovery Center doing during this pandemic?

The Discovery Center building being closed has not stopped us from serving our community. We continue to reach out as a community anchor to support families.

• The outdoor adventure area is open seven days a week for safe play. After every play session, staff sanitizes high-touch surfaces across the 4.5 acre area. In addition, over 50 movable toys, including bikes and wagons, are removed from the play area and rotated for fully sanitized sets prior to the next play session. The outdoor adventure area also has a new giant game board for socially distanced chess and checkers, texture kitchen, and mister for hot days with more exhibits planned.
• 150 Discovery at Home videos have reached almost 400,000 views, with educational activities highlighting key child development information. Activities include Spanish-language Descubriendo en Casa programs.
• The Discovery Center has delivered over 350 free learning kits to low-income and at-risk families. Staff called hundreds of KCDC Cares member families in the early weeks of the pandemic to ask about their needs. Then brought activity bags to their homes using contactless delivery.
• The museum created free online programming for families with children who have an autism spectrum disorder. Staff from monthly Puzzle Pieces events recorded video resources for children. On-site play sessions started again in September outdoors with limited capacity.
• Discovery Kindergarten helped kids get ready for school. Camp Kindergarten was offered online using Zoom to connect parents and students with teachers. Sessions were offered in English and Spanish. A resource guide was mailed to participating caregivers.
• Medical Warriors visits have continued for medically fragile children or those battling life-limiting illnesses who need private play time. The program is needed now more than ever, with increased isolation for immune-compromised children.
• Discovery Baby has helped first-time parents navigate birth and parenthood during the pandemic.

About Stormont Vail Health

Stormont Vail Health is a nonprofit integrated health system that has served the health care needs of Kansas for more than 130 years. Stormont Vail has been recognized as a Magnet ® organization since 2009 by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. It is composed of Stormont Vail Hospital, a 586-bed acute care hospital, and Cotton O’Neil Clinic, a multi-specialty physician group with more than 500 providers, including more than 250 physicians. Nearly 5,300 employees provide care and support services for patients in the hospital and 35 other locations, including the Cotton O’Neil Heart Center, Cancer Center, Diabetes & Endocrinology Center, Digestive Health Center, Pediatrics clinics and ten regional primary care clinics. Stormont Vail Health is committed to its mission of improving the health of the community by being a national leader in providing compassionate, high quality and efficient integrated care through collaboration that results in a healthier community. For more information about Stormont Vail and Cotton O’Neil, visit stormontvail.org. For breaking news and videos, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Kansas Children’s Discovery Center is still closed, but is reaching out to serve families in need with the help of local business partners. The nonprofit children’s museum recently began delivering free educational toys and science kids to at-risk families in Topeka, and launched online resources for children with an autism spectrum disorder and Spanish-speaking families. 

In the past two weeks, 104 children received surprise, free deliveries of educational toys, science kits and other items to help them learn at home. These children, whose families all have discounted Discovery Center memberships based on need, each received a bag designed just for them by the Discovery Center education team. This program will continue throughout the summer. The bags were sponsored by the Devlin Family and Vaughn Pediatric Dentistry. 

A new website offers at-home activities and resources specifically designed for children with an autism spectrum disorder and their families. The website is an online extension of the museum’s Puzzle Pieces program. When the museum is open, Puzzle Pieces offers a free admission day on the second Sunday of every month for those children and their families. Storytimes, music lessons, and parent information are all available free of charge thanks to sponsorship from Target and Pediatric Associates of Topeka.

The museum has posted free educational activities online daily since closure on March 13. Two new activities posted in both English and Spanish helped launch the Descubriendo en Casa website, a place to find activities accessible to Spanish-speaking families. Videos demonstrate educational activities that can be easily and inexpensively replicated using supplies found in most homes. The videos have collectively reached more than 250,000 viewers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and the organization’s website. Videos are primarily sponsored by Evergy with additional support from Topeka Collegiate. The new bilingual videos are funded by Hill’s Pet Nutrition.