KidSTREAM

KidSTREAM will provide an engaging experience that will break down socioeconomic and other barriers between children and families, according to Dr. Jamshid Damooei, Economic Department Chair at California Lutheran University. While there are now more than 340 children’s museums in 23 countries around the world, and children’s museums represent the largest growth sector for museums, in the Ventura County region, children and families have little or no access to the unique experiences provided by children’s museum. The nearest options require, at minimum, an hour’s travel each way, and often much longer due to traffic or the need to utilize public transportation. Further, a children’s museum can serve as a community anchor. In fact, in determining America’s Best Cities, Businessweek placed the greatest weight on “leisure, amenities including density of museums, followed by educational metrics and economic metrics”.

Our vision is to create a regional, community-based resource that brings families together while empowering kids to become critical thinkers, innovators, and lifelong learners through play. Broad accessibility, cultural representation, innovation and interactive learning, and economic, community and ecological sustainability are our core values.

kidSTREAM currently has terms to purchase the former Camarillo library, which includes 2-acres of land on a community campus from the City of Camarillo. A successful capacity building campaign helped lay the foundation for the feasibility of the project. Currently, a capital campaign has been launched to fund the building purchase, renovation, and build-out of a world class, destination worthy resource for the Ventura County region. Additional fundraising efforts for endowments, combined with operating income will provide for the sustainability of ongoing operational expenses.

Two major goals for 2020 are to increase the raise of capital and to increase accessibility at kidSTREAM's site. Strategies in reaching the capital raise goal include increasing the board of directors in breadth and depth. Additionally, increasing the access to the site on a more consistent basis increases kidSTREAM's access to grant funding for both capacity building and capital. The increased accessibility to the site will allow for a more diverse audience, and part of this strategy is to increase accessibility through targeted, bilingual communications, as well as continuing to increase awareness of the mission and vision of kidSTREAM to all.

Over the past three years, kidSTREAM has part of the fabric of the community, in that

During the build out for the campaign, kidSTREAM's board of directors and a large group of volunteers have actively reached out to over 30,000 children and families throughout Ventura County with hands-on STREAM-based learning opportunities since incorporating and becoming a 501(c)(3) in 2016. Most of the outreach is away from the site, around the entire county, specifically targeting communities and populations with barriers to access. Part of this targeted strategy is committing to bilingual communication and offering admission to marginalized populations. Currently, the primary use of the site is to showcase kidSTREAM's vision, specifically to potential stakeholders. The site is also currently home to kidSTREAM's "STREAMing in the Park" programming, which highlights the letters in STREAM: Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts and Math. Several community partners have been engaged in these events from the local parks district to Boys and Girls Clubs countywide.

Looking ahead at the coming years, kidSTREAM will continue to engage the community with targeted outreach, both on and off site, with the goal of increasing accessibility. Part of the implementation strategy for this is an increase in volunteer responsibilities and a decrease in requiring board presence. As the board grows in breadth and depth, the role of the director will shift to focus on fundraising and organizational governance, especially once paid staff are in place. The capital raised will go toward the build out of what will become a transformational hub for the children and families of Ventura County, helping retain and attract a viable workforce to our region and increasing the trajectory for those who call Ventura County home.