Santa Fe Children’s Museum reopens after a year and a half

SANTA, F.E. – The Santa Fe Children’s Museum is about to reopen Wednesday, August 18, after the pandemic forced it to close for a year and a half.

The museum offers interactive exhibits both indoor and outdoors, including a community garden to the general public.

"We are that whole childhood development, so we are that first introduction to the arts and the humanities, culture and life and experience" Hannah Hausman, executive director at the Santa Fe Children’s Museum.

Hausman said a lot will be the same, but COVID-19 safe precautions such as checking temperatures upon entrance to the building. Masks will also be required for all guest ages two and up.

"We also have amended a lot of our exhibits, some tried and true, that you may have adored before, might not be on the floor, but then others will, and so we will work with our educators and our team to also be cleaning, and we’re CDC complaint and working through all of that,” she said.

When the museum faced laying off staff, donors stepped up.

"We’re a beloved gem in the community, and so our donors really stepped up. Once they did that, we were able to fund programs that we, everyone loves this word ‘pivot’, we did pivot, and we started to provide to kids in our community who otherwise wouldn’t be receiving services such as ‘grab n go’ kits to homes in rural and tribal areas of New Mexico," said Hausman.

During its year and a half closure, the non-profit museum also offered programs like virtual field trips and a summer camp for more than 300 kids.

"We felt it was important to serve kids this summer who really needed socialization and play, it had been a really tough year for a lot of them," said Hausman. "We’re here to stay.”