Young children, whose brains are developing rapidly, need stimulating experiences and parental engagement in order to arrive at kindergarten ready to learn.
Habitot’s after hours programs, “Parents and Children Together,” was created to ensure the Museum truly serves the needs of the diverse community of Bay Area families raising young children. Helping all parents assume their role as their child’s first teacher can have a significant positive impact on their children’s school readiness.
Formal partnerships with fourteen social service agencies and nonprofits help Habitot reach the most vulnerable young children and families. Free, exclusive visit times on weekday afternoons, when the Museum is otherwise closed to the public, have benefited over 8,000 at-risk parents and children over the last seven years.
The family engagement sessions are currently organized for teen parents, special needs children and their families, homeless families and recently released prisoners and their families. Sessions are supported, in part by generous grants from the Sam Mazza Foundation and the Lowell Berry Foundation
Currently partnering agencies include CalSafe – Hayward/Fruitvale and the Vera Casey Collaborative in Berkeley which bring pregnant and parenting teens to Habitot for play and bonding time with their children. Parenting support, as well as distributions of books, clothing and art supplies, help teens become more successful.
Currently partnering homeless shelters include the Berkeley Food and Housing Project, the Women’s Daytime Drop-in Center, and the “Winter Nights” program of the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County. Families enjoy exclusive time at Habitot to reconnect and play with their children.
Habitot partners with many agencies serving children with special needs and their families to give these children time and space to acclimate to the Museum, and receive adaptive support in using the exhibits. Habitot hosts quarterly playdates – including special holiday celebrations for Halloween, Valentine’s Day and in December for families with children with special needs. The playdates are FREE with registration. For the next event, click here
Habitot is partnering with Centerforce, a California-based incarcerated support nonprofit, on a family reintegration project for recently released mothers and their children.
