Nonpro t
BY AUBREY HOWELL
Fort Bend Children’s Discovery Center celebrates 10 years
Fort Bend Children’s Discovery Center, a special project of the Children’s Museum Hous- ton, celebrated its 10th anniversary of serving families in Sugar Land. Henry Yau, who serves as vice president of public relations for the Children’s Museum Houston, said the museum ran a market run with a satellite location in Sugar Land Town Square during the summers of 2007 and 2008, which was met with great success and solid- i ed the decision to fundraiser to expand to Fort Bend County. The movement was advocated for by Charlene Pate, a Sugar Land resident and lifetime board member, who saw the need to expand in the Fort Bend County area as the child population grew exponentially. “What began as a bold vision a decade ago has grown into a vibrant community treasure shaped by the laughter, imagination and curiosity of the children and families we serve every day,” CEO Rayanne Darensbourg said. What they offer The center, which is located at the historic Imperial Sugar re nery site, serves families with children from birth to age 12 and features three permanent galleries including: • Kidtropolis USA, where kids can learn how to run a city featuring real life Fort Bend County business building such as Fort Bend Christian Academy and H E B • How does it work gallery, where kids can learn
The center has served nearly 900,000 visitors since its debut in Fort Bend County.
PHOTOS COURTESY FORT BEND CHILDREN’S DISCOVERY CENTER
physics and STEM-related items • Tot*Spot for children up to age 3
The museum also features two rotating galler- ies—cultural and what’s new—which are changed every 18 months, Yau said. Beyond its galleries, the museum also o ers changing weekly events to ensure children can stay engaged, Yau said. “This is something the community wanted and it’s very important for families in Fort Bend to support children,” Yau said. “Children really the future … it’s very important because these are the next engineers, the next scientists and the next problem solvers and it’s very important that we support that in our own community out in Fort Bend.”
The center o ers three permanent galleries as well as two additional galleries that change every 18 months.
The grand opening was held Memorial Day weekend in 2016.
Get involved Interested parties can purchase an annual membership which includes unlimited access to the Children’s Museum Houston and the Fort Bend Children’s Discovery Center as well as special member events. The center also o ers daily admission rates.
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198 Kempner St., Sugar Land www.childrensdiscovery .org
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SUGAR LAND MISSOURI CITY EDITION
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