Winston-Salem’s experiential learning museum, Kaleideum, is making its programming more accessible.
Kaleideum participates in a national program called Museums for All, which allows visitors receiving food assistance, like SNAP benefits, to pay a reduced admission price of $3 instead of $10.
This month, the museum began offering that rate to even more people: recipients of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina’s Link2Feed cardholders.
“When you make the museum accessible for everyone, then everyone really wants to come. You know, everyone is interested in education for their families and fun engaging things to do," said Kaleideum's Executive Director Elizabeth Dampier.
She said that making the museum more accessible also makes it a more diverse learning environment.
"You can really internalize your learning and extend your learning when you learn from people and experience things with people who have a different perspective," Dampier said. "Sometimes that's playing alongside someone who may or may not look like you, someone who may have a diverse experience from you. And so we believe seeing that in the museum is important.”
Visitors just need to present their EBT, WIC, or Link2Feed Card at Kaleideum’s Welcome Desk to receive the reduced price.
Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.