Camarillo, California –kidSTREAM Children’s Museum received incredible support from the Camarillo City Council Wednesday night as the Council voted unanimously to approve the Second Amendment to the Term Sheet for the former Camarillo Library which donates the property at 3100 Ponderosa Drive for the development of a children’s museum. The appraised cost of the building is approximately $900,000.
Several kidSTREAM board members and community members spoke in support of the project who all noted the benefits to the children of Ventura County and beyond. Founder and Board President Kristie Akl shared how she and a small group of passionate volunteers formed kidSTREAM in the summer of 2016 as a grassroots effort. As the project has grown, she has “every confidence that kidSTREAM will become an economic driver for our City and for our region that will exceed the great children’s museums throughout our country.”
kidSTREAM will reimagine the former library to create hands-on learning experiences that combine to critical elements of play with the essential contents of STREAM: Science Technology Reading Engineering Arts and Math. The museum will utilize the 30,000 square feet of exhibit space to highlight what is unique about Ventura County and allow children and their adults to explore, play, and discover. Children took an active role in planning the museum when they participated in the “Kids Dream of kidSTREAM” event where they shared what exhibits and experiences they thought would be fun and allow them to play in a one-of-a-kind museum just for kids.
“We are building something really special here with incredible community partners like the Autism Society of Ventura County, our Thousand Oaks based exhibit designer Landrec Playspaces, and the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command,” stated Michael Shanklin, kidSTREAM’s inaugural Executive Director. Shanklin is confident that the museum will positively impact the children and families of Ventura County and beyond while also serving as an economic driver for the community. “kidSTREAM is working hard to be ready for the children of our community when they are ready for us. We are moving full STREAM ahead!”
Founded in 2016, kidSTREAM is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to create an engaging environment for children and families to explore, play and discover; inspiring them to become critical thinkers, innovators, and life-long learners. For more information, visit www.kidstream.org.
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