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Community Corner

$25,000 Grant Will Help Bring Toddler Beach to Westchester Children's Museum

Westchester Association for the Education of Young Children funds portion of interactive exhibit 

A $25,000 grant awarded to the Westchester Children’s Museum (WCM) by the non-profit Westchester Association for the Education of Young Children (WAEYC) will help WCM to construct a beach-themed learning laboratory—“Toddler Beach” – at its future brick-and-mortar location at Rye Playland. The exhibit will be tailored for children younger than two years and will feature interactive sailboat, lighthouse and beach cottage models. Youngsters also will be encouraged to scamper over foam dunes, build with sand castle blocks, and more.

 “At Toddler Beach, the museum’s very youngest visitors will discover the world around them using their senses,” said Tracy Kay, WCM Executive Director. 

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Toddler Beach dovetails with WCM’s goal of creating an interactive space that educates youngsters, and also aligns with WAEYC’s dedication to the growth and development of today’s young children.

 “We are proud to be a supporter of this very valuable resource for Westchester County,” said Jeanette Mirabile. “This donation in support of the Westchester Children’s Museum is in keeping with our organization’s mission – that the Westchester Association for the Education of Young Children provides support, training, and a forum for those working in the field of early childhood to network and share ideas.” She added that “as a group we strive to influence local, state and federal policy issues on behalf of young children and take pride in our advocacy for quality early childhood education.”

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The WCM capital campaign will be raising $10 million within a 24-month window to support construction of the new museum and its exhibits. The funds – contributed by community members, local organizations and area businesses – will allow the museum to construct a brick-and-mortar home with exhibit installations and a performance theater. Funding to date has allowed WCM to develop architectural plans and exhibit designs, launch and support its Museum Without Walls educational outreach program, and hire a talented and passionate staff. The museum plans to open its doors by 2015. Until then, the WCM will maintain its highly successful Museum Without Walls program that has reached more than 9,000 children through classroom programs and venues across Westchester.

For more information, please call (914) 421-5050 or visit www.discoverWCM.org.

About Westchester Children’s Museum

Westchester Children’s Museum (WCM) will be a learning laboratory providing children, families, and school groups throughout Westchester County and the surrounding region with the opportunity to nurture curiosity, enhance knowledge, and ignite imagination through hands-on exploration. WCM is committed to broadening knowledge of the arts, the environment, multiculturalism, and the local and global communities in an educational and recreational atmosphere. Until its physical home is completed in 2015, WCM is dedicated to fulfilling its educational mission through its Museum Without Walls program, which has brought hands-on educational programs to more than 9,000 children since launching in March 2010. For more information or to get involved, please visit www.discoverWCM.org.   

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