Santa Cruz County families are navigating one of the most stressful periods in recent memory. Parents are already stretched thin between sky-high housing costs and the demands of multiple jobs just to make ends meet. Recent developments with government shutdowns and a changing childcare landscape are pushing families to the brink.
According to First 5 California, their children are paying the price: one in three California children is at risk for toxic stress that can change the structure of their developing brains, affecting their ability to learn, focus, and form healthy relationships.
But research shows there’s a powerful antidote: play. When children engage in play, especially with caring adults, it buffers stress and builds resilient brains. The American Academy of Pediatrics emphasizes that play literally builds brain architecture and helps children develop the skills they need to thrive.
For over a decade, the Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery (MOD) has provided exactly this kind of support for Santa Cruz families. Now, as working parents face food insecurity and an unexpected childcare crisis, the museum is stepping up to fill the void.
Free play for those facing federal government uncertainty
During the first week of November MOD responded to late and missing SNAP payments, delayed income for federal employees, and displaced Head Start families by opening its doors with free admission to families affected by recent government shutdowns. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, MOD takes pride in its ability to pivot and respond to changing community needs, always ensuring all families have access to a space for play, wonder, and connection.
The summer care gap
This year, the museum is also stepping in to help with the unforeseen impact of California’s switch to universal Transitional Kindergarten which has created an unintended consequence: a summer care gap for four- and five-year-olds. Children who previously had year-round preschool options now face a summer void and affordable alternatives are scarce in the county.
“For families already stretched thin by Santa Cruz’s high cost of living, this isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a crisis,” says Rhiannon Crain, Executive Director of the Children’s Museum of Discovery. “Parents need safe, enriching care while they work. This year, we’re launching full-day summer camps specifically designed for TK-aged children.”
Through an expanded scholarship fund and new full-day camp programming, the museum is positioning itself to fill this critical gap, ensuring young children have access to high-quality summer education and care when their families need it most.
A vital community resource
The Children’s Museum of Discovery serves 70,000 people annually through museum visits and free community programs. Over 14,000 visits a year are through subsidized programs for low-income families. The museum is the only institution of its kind in Santa Cruz County, serving families from Watsonville to Scotts Valley.
“For ten years, we’ve been here through economic ups and downs, through fires and storms,” Crain says. “We’ve created spaces where families from every background come together. In a time when everything feels divided, that matters.”
A lifeline for families
For Mercedes, a Santa Cruz grandmother, the museum has become essential. Her daughter works multiple jobs just to keep the lights on and food on the table. Nearly every week, Mercedes brings her granddaughter to the museum.
“This place gives us room to breathe,” Mercedes says. “My granddaughter can run and explore and learn without me worrying. At home, our apartment is small, and the stress is everywhere. Here, she gets to just be a kid.”
It’s families like Mercedes’ that the museum serves—providing not just educational enrichment, but a refuge from daily pressures in one of California’s most expensive counties.
Last November, the museum celebrated its best fundraising year ever during its Decade of Discovery campaign. Those funds created an immersive Enchanted Forest exhibit where children explore the natural world through hands-on discovery, including an AI-powered animated drawing exhibit built in partnership with the Digital Nest where children’s artwork comes to life on screen. Mobile programming in local parks, at the county fair, and with the museum’s free Touch-a-Truck event reached an additional 20,000 people across Santa Cruz County.
Adapting to funding challenges
In April 2025, museums nationwide lost federal funding when the Trump administration terminated Institute of Museum and Library Services grants. Here in Santa Cruz, both the Museum of Art & History and the Children’s Museum face significant shortfalls as a result of grants being canceled. Other local grant funding the museum depends on has been diverted to fill hunger programs affected by government budget cuts.
Community support is now more critical than ever.
How to support
The Children’s Museum is asking the community to invest in this critical work through Santa Cruz Gives.
Donate Today: www.santacruzgives.org/nonprofit/mod/
A gift of $100 subsidizes a full week of summer camp for a child from a working family—providing safe care while parents work and enriching play-based learning during a critical gap in the year.
“By working together, we can ensure Santa Cruz remains a place where all families thrive,” Crain notes. “The museum is here for everyone and everyone’s support matters.”
Community support will help the museum continue serving Santa Cruz families, particularly as it addresses the summer care crisis facing working parents throughout the county.
The Children’s Museum of Discovery is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving 70,000 people annually. More than one-third of members qualify as low-income. For more information, visit www.sccmod.org or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, & TikTok @SCCMOD.
