The Sacramento region will get its first museum devoted to young children when the Sacramento Children's Museum opens in Rancho Cordova.
The museum is scheduled to open in January of 2010 in a building adjacent to City Hall, at 2701 Prospect Park in Rancho Cordova. Unlike other museums in Sacramento, this one will be tailored to children eight years old and younger.
The museum is the brainchild of former San Juan District elementary school teacher Kathleen Palley, who decided to fill the void in such a children's museum four years ago.
"Sacramento has some great resources for older elementary school children, but children eight years or younger have been, historically, an underserved population here," said Palley.
"There's such an important need for a museum of this kind in this community, and I thought that if no one was going to start one, then I would do it myself," she said. "So I started this in the living room of my house, with a couple of people."
To date, the museum has raised $60,000 toward a $1.3 million capital campaign.
Palley selected the site in Rancho Cordova, she said, because it is easily accessible to families with young children. The location is near public transportation and offers free parking, Palley said.
The City of Rancho Cordova is helping the museum get off the ground by underwriting the maintenance costs of the museum's building, said Joe Chinn, assistant city manager for Rancho Cordova. Roebbelen Construction is providing $100,000 of its services to renovating the buiilding that will house the museum.
"We see the museum as a great addition to our community," said Chinn. "It supports our vision as a family-oriented community. And as an education center, it adds a great regional attraction to Rancho Cordova".
Palley, who will be the museum's president, said that the idea for it was deeply influenced by children's museums in Northern California, including the Habitot Children's Discovery Museum in Berkeley and the San Jose Children's Museum.
The museum will offer 7 themed exhibit areas that include "Waterways", World Market" "My Neighborhood" and "Art Studio".
Palley said that the museum will encourage play and exploration.
"We like to say that play is an essential part of children's work. And when children have the opportunity to do that, and succeed at it, they then gain confidence and a sense of self in the community," she said.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.