Discovery Place Announces Discovery Place KIDS Rockingham

CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — Discovery Place announced on Monday its decision to open a new Discovery Place KIDS facility located in Rockingham, N.C. This will be the second Discovery Place KIDS museum following the anticipated opening of Discovery Place KIDS - Huntersville wich is scheduled to open on October 23 in Huntersville, N.C.

Discovery Place KIDS museums are designed to offer creative play spaces and unique learning through play experiences for young children and their caregivers. Interactive, imagination-stimulating opportunities for children include immersive exhibits, live programming such as story time and puppet shows, a visual arts studio and an outdoor garden, all focused on encouraging the development of the whole child.

"As we looked at new opportunities for expanding Discovery Place KIDS, we realized that a community-based educational facility for young children could have significant impact in regions outside the urban core where fewer resources exist," said John Mackay, president and CEO of Discovery Place, Inc. "Additionally, the response and feedback we received from Richmond County residents has been overwhelmingly positive. They seem to be energized by the educational, social and community-building opportunities that a Discovery Place KIDS presents for the region."

"Richmond County welcomes Discovery Place to our community as a new day for our families and schools," said Russell Bennett, a Richmond County community leader. "Our area needs more high-quality cultural and educational opportunities for children and engaging experiences that bring families together. Discovery Place KIDS will provide a much-needed resource for the development of our children and the quality of life in the region for years to come."

Charlotte-based Foundation For The Carolinas served as facilitator between Discovery Place, Inc. and the Rockingham community, coordinating an effort to help determine interest and practicality for the new location. A feasibility study was conducted to determine whether or not a children's museum in the Richmond County area would prove to be a workable endeavor. With extensive community input from local residents and regional leaders during the study, a children's museum in Richmond County was viewed as favorable and the City of Rockingham was recommended as the facility partner.

Discovery Place's focus moving forward will be on confirming a building location for Discovery Place KIDS-Rockingham and working with Richmond County area leaders to launch a capital campaign to provide the financial resources to develop the Museum. "We still have a lot of work ahead of us before this is a reality, but just getting to this point is a cause for celebration. If I allow myself to dream just a little about what this could mean for Richmond County, I see young kids coming from all over to Discovery Place KIDS-Rockingham, experiencing things that could transform the way they view the world and their own educational possibilities," said Brian Collier, senior vice president for philanthropy for Foundation For The Carolinas.

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