Editor’s note: The following is adapted from a press release from WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology. Bloom has republished it here with edits for clarity and style.
WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology is offering a free First Time Parent Membership with the support of donations from Monroe County 100+ Women Who Care and the Richard M. Schultz Family Foundation.
Earlier this year, WonderLab was awarded $13,300 in donations from 100+ Women Who Care and a matching $5,000 gift from the Shulze Foundation to support free memberships for first-time parents and their child aged birth through 18 months. Children in this age group can explore WonderLab’s Science Sprouts Place exhibit area, which opened in October 2019.
WonderLab launched the First Time Parent Membership in January 2020 and more than 240 families from across southern and southcentral Indiana became members of the museum in the first two months. Funding from 100+ Women Who Care will continue to support these memberships as the museum returns to normal operation following the COVID-19 lockdown.
Prioritizing safety, WonderLab temporarily closed its doors on March 12, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a March 14, 2020 email, WonderLab Executive Director Karen Jepson-Innes announced that WonderLab would immediately begin offering free virtual programs to the general public. Programs included a virtual version of the popular Science Sprouts weekly program for children up to age 3, as well as the new, weekly Science Story Time program.
WonderLab Museum reopened its galleries and exhibits with limited capacity on August 19, 2020, with new protocols for safety and sanitization in Science Sprouts Place.
Science Sprouts Place is currently open with limited capacity during museum hours. Visitors can schedule a private time during the 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. sessions on Wednesday and Friday Double Bubble visit days or during the 3 p.m. session of Sunday Double Bubble visit days. On General Visit Days, Thursday visitors are invited to sign up for a Science Sprouts Place session during their visit. Sign up is first come, first served and includes time after the visit for deep cleaning and sanitizing. Wiggle Woods, the multi-level exploration pathway, remains temporarily closed.
For more information, visit wonderlab.org/members.
