Less than three years ago, the idea of bringing a children’s museum to Merced began to blossom. Since Mayya Tokman and Angelo Kyrilov, both UC Merced professors, opened the doors of Kids Discovery Station, they have seen more than 65,000 visitors.
After successful pilot exhibits in 2018 at the Merced Multicultural Arts Center and the Merced Library attracted over 3,000 visitors in five weeks, it was clear that children in Merced needed a place where they could play, learn and discover. As parents themselves, Tokman and Kyrilov were inspired by their son, whom Tokman describes as “an extremely active little boy.”
“I don’t think I sat down until he was 4 years old,” she said.
As faculty, the couple travel to conferences and would often find themselves making the trips as a family. Their favorite activity in any city was visiting the local children’s museum. On international trips in Canada and Europe, and while traveling closer to home in California, they were able to visualize the concept they wanted to bring home to Merced.
“I was interested in building something long-term,” said Tokman. “You need to have a plan of how to make it sustainable.”
A number of organizations, including First 5 Merced County and Merced County Office of Education, as well as individual donors, joined as founding partners. Tokman was grateful that in 2019, interim UC Merced Chancellor Nathan Brostrom agreed to invest $30,000 on behalf of the university.
Kids Discovery Station was opened with less than $500,000 in funding. A large part of the contributions was given as in-kind donations, including remodeling provided by Webcor Builders. The museum has continuously expanded; the current focus is on building up the outdoor space. A space-themed playground is under construction with funding from First 5 Merced County, the city of Merced and Central Valley Community Foundation.
Recently, Kids Discovery Station received a $150,000 matching grant from the Central Valley Opportunity Fund to build the Our City outdoor exhibit. They are fundraising for the match to be able to create a mini-city where children can learn how municipalities work and what opportunities they offer.
New exhibits are being added in the indoor space as well. The rotating Experience Space offered nighttime camping in Yosemite last year and is now transformed into a living room from the ’80s, complete with working electronics such as rotary phone, video cassette player, Nintendo Entertainment System and other technological relics.
This growth, Tokman says, would not have been possible without Kyrilov.
“We would not be able to pull it off if we weren’t working together — my husband and I,” she said, “In addition to his extensive list of other responsibilities, Angelo builds a lot of what you see here.”
Current exhibits include Innovation Island, Home Valley, Creativity City, Little Explorers planet and California High-Speed Train. The museum also offers extensive entertainment and educational programming. Young Engineers Academy, sponsored by UC Merced, has offered evening workshops for children. The program is being expanded to offer more days and will include a Young Scientists Academy.
Kids Discovery Station also hosts numerous field trips, birthday parties, and special events celebrating holidays, cultures and human achievements. The STEAM Summer Camp program has been full through its eight-week run.
“Somebody has to do it. We did it for our child and other kids in Merced who need to be inspired,” said Tokman. “They need to see that there are many interesting things and opportunities in life, in the world, including our city, that can help them live a more productive and fulfilling life.”
Kids Discovery Station’s annual fundraiser, which brings together the local community and UC Merced’s faculty, staff and students, will take place on Sept. 21 and promises to be a fun event with its Oktoberfest theme.
Visit the Kids Discovery Station website to learn more about the museum and its programming.
We did it for our child and other kids in Merced who need to be inspired.
