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KTVU Showcases Habitot's Holiday

Celebration for Children with Special Needs

Happy kids and families had their TV-debuts on December 28 when the film crew from KTVU-Channel 5 showed up at Habitot to film the holiday party. Channel 5 viewers saw almost 90 children with special needs and their families, from all over the Bay Area from as far away as Santa Rosa, enjoying the Museum. View Video  View Photo Gallery

This free admission celebration, which we hope to repeat, was generously sponsored by Wells Fargo.

Angeline's Restaurant Customers Bring in the Books

Over the holidays, Angeline's Louisiana Kitchen customers donated $150 worth of parenting and children's books to support Habitot's Family Resource Center and Book-Giveaway programs. Customers donating books received a free order of beignets! Habitot volunteer Amir Magid is busily entering the new books into our Library which will be available to members for checkout, and everyone else for browsing while in the museum.

Thank you to all who donated. To see the wish list of books we'd still like to replace or add to our collection, click here.

Trio Foundation Grant to Help Habitot Connect

Children with Formerly Incarcerated Parents

Trio Foundation has granted $10,000 to support “Family Reengagement for Released Prisoners,” (FRRP) a project to provide joyful, reintegration art and play-sessions at Habitot for recently incarcerated mothers and their preschool-aged children. The children of incarcerated parents have long been an almost “invisible population,” according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Nearly one quarter of prisoners nationwide have children under the age of four.

For this project, Habitot will partner with Centerforce, a prisoners’ support organization providing services to women recently released from Santa Rita Jail. All of the 80 women who will participate are motivated to regain custody of their children.

2011 Annual Fund Drive

Dedicated to the Most Vulnerable Families

As of December 31, 45 gifts from individuals and a $5,000 from the Witkin Family Fund have raised just over $20,000 for our free, after-hours programs for teen parents, homeless families, children with special needs and formerly incarcerated parents.

Habitot's intimate play and family togetherness setting and mentoring programs nurture families and foster family well-being for some of the neediest families.

Thank you to all who donated. It's not too late to make a gift to Habitot - every bit helps to keep the Family Engagement Program and all of Habitot's programs going. DONATE NOW

Previous News

Celebrating a Year of Book Giveaways

Since October, 2010, Habitot has distributed over 1,100 new and used children's books to visitors, thanks to Ada Spanier's dedication, personal funds and the donations of others. To celebrate her 90th birthday last year, she launched the giveaway program to put a book in the hands of every child who visited on the third Tuesday of the month.

The program has been so popular, we are continuing the tradition, but we need donations of new or gently used children's books for 0-5 year olds and funds for book purchases to keep it going.

Family Outreach Program Helps Eligible Families

Not a week goes by that a family doesn't inquire if we have scholarships for memberships or admissions. These are low-income parents who understand how much Habitot helps their children learn and grow. We have a special program that can award free year-long memberships to families receiving state assistance.

Last year, we distributed over $6,000 in scholarship memberships. If you or someone you know qualifies, encourage them to present an adult or guardian's ID along with their state assistance card or letter. Some qualifying examples include food stamps, WIC, SSI, welfare, unemployment, or reduced lunch at school.

Demand is increasing for this social safety net program; donations, of course, are are welcome. Please contact Crystal at 510-647-1111 x 15 for assistance.

New Board Leadership

At the Annual Meeting of Habitot's Board of Directors last month, our newest board member, Sunnie Kaufmann-Paulman, was elected Habitot's Board President by unanimous vote. Joining her in leadership positions as elected officers are Eric Techel as Treasurer and Yanira Gonzalez Wong as Secretary.

In addition, Jeff Evans will be heading up the Facilities Task Force in the coming year. Ms. Kaufmann-Paulman currently works as program coordinator at Pacific Foundation Services and previously worked for the Girl Scouts. All of our board members have young children and visit as well as appreciate what Habitot offers the community. After completion of major work on Habitot's strategic plan this past spring, the Board is eager to take up the challenge of Habitot's inadequate facility. For more information on leadership activities, please contact executive director, Gina Moreland at habitot@lmi.net

Habitot Wins New Awards

So many supporters posted 4- and 5-Start reviews of Habitot for the Top-Rated Education Nonprofits List that Habitot is now designated a top-rated Great Nonprofit. Inclusion on the list helps demonstrate our impact to thousands of potential donors. Reviews will appear on our GreatNonprofits profile, as well as on our GuideStar profile, on Charity Navigator and on GlobalGiving. To read our reviews, go to www.greatnonprofits.org/reviews/habitot-childrens-museum

Also this month, readers of the Bay Area's Parents' Press Magazine voted Habitot the "Best Indoor Play Place," a distinction it has won several times before. Thank you to all of our supporters for your belief in Habitot's mission and services.
http://www.parentspress.com/media/Parents-Press/July-2011/Best-of-the-East-Bay-2011/

Heartwarming Turnout for Habitot's

Preschool Teacher Awards Ceremony

Over 100 friends and family members, including one 94-year old grandmother, turned out to support the ten winners in Habitot's 3rd annual "Preschool Teachers Make a Difference" awards program. At the awards ceremony last month, nominators stood to recognize their winning teachers for "seeing their child, not as a special needs child, but as a child of possibility." One dad talked about how his child came home to teach him how to wash hands properly: "you turn on the water, soap up, turn the water off while scrubbing, and then turn it on to rinse. This way saves water!" The parent reported that now everyone in the family washes hands this way!

The parents who nominated teachers remarked, with tears at times, how important it was to feel so good about leaving their children in the care of such capable and loving teachers. Many nominators and teachers thanked Habitot for sponsoring the preschool teacher recognition program. One teacher said, "I've been teaching 17 years and this is the first time anyone, beyond my students and families, has ever recognized my work. I start to cry just thinking about it." To sponsor next year's "Preschool Teachers Make a Difference" awards program, please contact Lauren Levin at dassoc@habitot.org

Habitot Helps Lead Bay Area Coalition for Play

Since co-hosting the well-attended 2008 Bay Area Symposium on Play, Habitot has been working with local play advocates to build a sustainable local Coalition for Play. Our goals are to advocate for children’s universal right to play; encourage grown-ups to create and protect children’s opportunities for play;
support communities to provide safe and appropriate places for children and adults to play; and foster ongoing, research-based education and specialized training on the importance of play.

Anyone interested in being involved should contact executive director, Gina Moreland, who participates on the Coalition's steering committee. Email Gina at habitot@lmi.net

Are We "Clean" Enough?

Despite our considerable efforts with daily janitorial care, availability of hand-sanitizers, special air filters and periodic volunteer events known as "Spit 'n Polish" Days, we often receive criticism about the Museum's cleanliness. We are asking for your feedback and constructive suggestions for how we could do a better job. Keep in mind we see over 100 people a day (more in winter) and our financial resources are very limited. We aim for a high standard, though.

Please contact hcmops@gmail.com with your ideas. Thanks!

Habitot's 2010 Annual Report Released

Sharing accomplishments and program successes, reporting our previous year financials and recognizing donors are important goals for a nonprofit organization's annual report. This is our report on your charitable giving at work in 2010. Thank you! Click here to download Habitot's Annual Report 2010 (PDF).

State Farm Funds Habitot's 11th

Annual Early Childhood Safety Campaign

Helping parents and caregivers avoid preventable accidents and injuries among young children is the goal of Habitot's annual Early Childhood Safety Campaign. Sponsored once again by State Farm Insurance, FREE Car Seat Inspections, including one this month on Saturday, June 11, CPR and choke-saving demonstrations, poison control information, baby-proofing advice and much more will take place both in the community and at Habitot between June and early October. Saturday morning car seat checks will be held in the parking lots of three East Bay Regional Parks, with support from SafeKids, Alameda County Public Health and Children's Hospital, Oakland. All other events will take place at Habitot with support from Bay Area Red Cross, Capture Technologies, The Childproofer, YMCA, and the Berkeley Public Health Department.

Thanks to State Farm Insurance Companies, FREE admission during all safety events.

Contra Costa Libraries Join Outreach Efforts

For many years, Habitot has placed permanent admission passes in community libraries so that low-income families and others (with a library card) have free access to Habitot. Thanks to an anonymous donation, seven new libraries in Contra Costa towns have joined our outreach efforts. They include: Antioch, El Sobrante, Hercules, Pinole, Pittsburg, Martinez and Crockett.

The library's new online system will let seven families a month will be able to download free family visit passes from the libraries.

Passes for many other venues are available through their network. http://ccclib.org/

As an unemployed single parent with a 10 year old, I was thrilled to hear about Discover and Go. It's a fantastic opportunity to get my son and his friends to educational venues that are fun, which I would not have otherwise been able to afford. A big thanks for Contra Costa libraries for coordinating this resource.

-- David

Nut-free Habitot

It turns out that many peanut-sensitive kids are also sensitive to tree nuts, so after consulting with pediatricians on our Advisory Board, we are extending our peanut-free policy to include all tree nuts (walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, hazelnuts, cashews, pistachios, and Brazil nuts), effective immediately.

Thank you for your help in keeping Habitot's main museum and classroom annex healthy spaces for all children.

Flu Season Means Restrictions on Entry

Each year, we ask parents and caregivers to refrain from visiting Habitot with sick children or adults. Precautions are especially important this year because of increased concerns about the spread of the H1N1 influenza virus and its risks to children under 5 and pregnant mothers. read more

Rocketship Blasts Off!

Thanks to seven stalwart families, Habitot raised nearly $2,500 to refurbish and bring back the always-popular Rocketship and Mission Control exhibit which is sure to be enjoyed by 10,000 or more visitors.

It's here for just five months so don't delay! There are some new elements for those who remember the previous installation and brand new costumes and helmets. We're developing out-of-this-world activities for Outer Space Month in July, and a special space science speaker's series in June.

Donations are needed and welcome to support new exhibits at Habitot. Please contact Gina at habitot@lmi.net, or 510-647-1111 x11 or Donate Now.
Read our appeal here.

Annual Survey Highlights

What Our Members and Visitors Want Us to Know!

Over 8% of our surveyed audience responded to our post-2009 Annual Visitor & Member Survey and, as usual, we learned a lot about what parents like and would like to see more of at Habitot.

• We learned that for the first time, websites, blogs and online links have surpassed "word of mouth" as the top way parents find out about Habitot. Does everyone know we have a Facebook page now?
  
  
• We learned that our Totmail newsletters are read only occasionally, so we are thinking creatively about new ways we can get the word out about Habitot's many programs and services. Ideas anyone? Email dassoc@habitot.org
  
  
• A majority would like to see us host a family fundraising event as a sustaining activity. Join our special events fundraising committee.
  
  
• Many people mentioned bringing back the Rocketship exhibit; an exotic animal exhibit was also a popular idea. We are currently appealing to our supporters for new exhibit funds that will allow us to refurbish the Rocketship exhibit so new, and old, audiences can enjoy it again. Read our appeal here.

Tina Ramirez is the winner of the free Family Circle Membership. Her name was drawn from the names of those who participated in the survey. Thank you everyone for participating!

More on Habitot

Awards, Recognition and Achievements

Habitot has received many awards over the years see List of Awards
Institute of Museum and Library Services IMLS Grant Award.
Habitot's Children's Museum Achievements.
Habitot's History 1992 to 2009

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