In the News: Discovery Center Invites New Kindergarten Students to Play, Learn at Community-Wide Fair

The Kansas Children’s Discovery Center hosted our fourth annual free Discovery Kindergarten Fair for incoming kindergarten students and their families from 4-6 p.m. Monday, July 25. The Discovery Kindergarten Fair brought 83 excited attendees and 16 community partners together for activities, learning resources, health screenings and more. A real school bus let children practice riding, and the full museum was open for play. The fair was the cumulative event of the Discovery Kindergarten program, which included four camps for incoming kindergarten students and online resources.

Community resource providers included:

Boy Scouts of America
Capper Foundation
Child Care Aware of Eastern Kansas
Family Service & Guidance Center
GraceMed
Kansas Ballet Company
Parents as Teachers (Topeka Public Schools)
Sunflower Lions Club
Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
Topeka Lutheran School
Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center
USD 345 Seaman Schools
USD 437 Auburn Washburn
USD 450 Shawnee Heights
USD 501 Topeka Public Schools
Vaughn Pediatric Dentistry

This program is a part of the Discovery Center’s work to ensure access to educational play experiences for all children. More than one in ten Discovery Center admissions are free or donor subsidized. 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. Discovery Kindergarten is funded by the Greater Topeka Partnership.

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.