DEL VALLE, Texas — On Monday afternoon, a $100,000 check from Wells Fargo was presented to help create a new museum in the Austin area.
The museum, named Thinkery - Del Valle, will essentially be a mini version of children's museum Thinkery, which is currently in the Mueller area.
It will be housed inside the new Del Valle ISD Central Child Development Center on Ross Road. There will be more than 13,000 square feet of space, including an indoor learning lab and 30 hands-on, play-based exhibits.
"We're thinking about a community asset where hundreds of children are going to have world-class educational experience, but also access for our teachers to have resources to bring better education experiences for our children," said Chris Rios, Wells Fargo and Thinkery board member.
Thinkery said for many children and their caregivers, there are barriers to accessing Thinkery’s museum in Mueller, such as cost and transportation. Thinkery said it is aiming to reduce those barriers and close a community learning-space gap, while creating more accessible opportunities for children.
“Thinkery offers an amazing space at their Mueller facility where kids are immersed in STEAM, and we want to bring that opportunity closer to our community. I’m proud that with Thinkery CEO Andy Bell, we are making it a reality,” said Superintendent Dr. Annette Tielle.
The new museum is expected to open in August of next year.
The organization aims to have the museum freely available to the Del Valle ISD community outside of the school day, which will be made possible through philanthropic support.