The success of similar efforts nationwide and other area museums prove there is significant demand for new opportunities for children to learn more about themselves and their environment. With nearly 39,000 children under the age of 15 living in Sangamon County, and more than 154,000 within a 60-mile radius of Springfield, the opportunity to inspire America’s youth is plenty. The chance to motivate extends to children of families visiting our community and that means a boost for Springfield’s tourism industry.

The Kidzeum of Health and Science has been offered a unique opportunity to partner with the Springfield Park District to establish the premier children’s museum in Illinois. The park district has generously offered KHS land and infrastructure at the site of the future Edwin Watts Southwinds Park.  The park will be located in the southern area of town, bordered by South Second Street and Southwind Road.  The park will be adjacent to the Trevi Gardens Subdivision and will be easily accessible from Interstate 55 and Toronto Road. 

The Edwin Watts Southwinds Park will be a state-of-the-art accessible park designed for all ages and abilities with special emphasis given to those with physical and cognitive disabilities.  The multi-use park will provide year-round indoor/outdoor education and recreational programs set amidst beautiful natural habitats, open space, unique water features and cutting-edge facilities.

KHS has also sought counsel from other children’s museum operators who indicate that the key to sustainability is to create a distinct niche for our institution. With that in mind, KHS recognizes Springfield as a major medical community and its area hospitals and clinics as Sangamon County’s largest employer.  In addition, KHS believes that its facilities and programs will address critical health and wellness issues, such as: childhood obesity², and declining oral hygiene in increasing number of young children; the absence of community science, math and health programming that accentuates and enhances what is taught at local schools; and the lack of an engaging, innovative facility for families of all abilities to engage in intergenerational learning about health, wellness and science. KHS’s Board concluded that the best way to be an educational asset to the Springfield community is to open a children’s museum with a health, wellness and science focus.

By combining the Springfield Park District’s objective of creating a park for “all people” with KHS’s mission of utilizing hands-on techniques to teach children of all ages about health, wellness, the human body, sensitivity toward and understanding of individuals with disabilities, and the environment’s impact on global health, we have an opportunity to benefit the residents of Springfield and surrounding communities for generations to come.  

To learn more about making a donation, contact Kidzeum Development Director, Farah Salim, at farah@kidzeum.org or 217.971.4435.

²Twenty-nine% of low-income children between two and five years of age in Illinois are overweight or
at risk of becoming overweight. (CDC PedNSS, 2003)