Shelby Wyatt
Santa Fe Children’s Museum
With the help of new funding, more students from underserved communities can visit the Santa Fe Children’s Museum free of charge.
The $4,000 grant from the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe and the Santa Fe Downtown Kiwanis Foundation—which comes from the net proceeds of the annual Zozobra burning—will provide support to Title 1 schools throughout northern New Mexico. Title 1 funding is allocated to school districts based on poverty estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Adria Malcolm
Zozobra 2022
Santa Fe Children’s Museum Executive Director Hannah Hausman tells SFR she’s “really grateful” to be a first-time recipient of a Kiwanis grant, one she says will help the museum continue one of its primary missions: “to inspire all children and families to discover the joys of learning, play and community” while also addressing systemic disparities.
“Northern New Mexico has more Title 1 schools than you would probably imagine, and we know how access to enriching extracurricular experiences is often limited,” Hausman says, “We raise funds for a lot of our programs so kids and teachers don’t have to pay, and that’s important to us.”
With support from sponsors in fiscal year 2023-2024, the Santa Fe Children’s Museum welcomed 1,388 children across 40 field trips. The new grant will allow for nearly 800 more children to take approximately 23 field trips, Hausman says, where students will have access to hands-on exhibits such as a water exploration zone, as well as a newly renovated, acre-plus outdoor playscape coined “The Backyard.” The school groups can also participate in weekly programs, including horticultural activities and art projects.
Her own 9-year-old son goes on regular field trips, she says, “and with his excitement, I start to feel the joy of [field trips] again.”
“Getting kids out of the classroom is paramount regardless, so I always say any experience outside of school will be great when it comes to learning and education,” Hausman says. “Kids are playing, and while they’re interacting, we call it ‘informal learning.’ That’s what makes children’s museums so unique.”
Next on her list of goals is the second phase of an ongoing expansion project which will include playground activities that enhance children’s gross-motor skills, such as climbing and jumping.
“That’s what I think kids need most, especially the older kids who want to take healthy risks,” Hausman says. “All of this stuff kids adore—and we do, too—but we need more of it in this town…We have a vision here. The museum has been around for almost 40 years serving this community, and I want to see it continue for 40 more and another 40 years after that.”
