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ABout us

WHO WE ARE

Who We Are

Our Vision

We envision a world where all children, and the adults they grow up to be, experience the transformational and lifelong benefits of abundant, creative and purposeful play.

Our Mission

Cayton Children’s Museum is a nonprofit organization that activates the power of PLAY to enrich the lives of children and their families, build stronger, more connected communities, and create a better world. We strive to nurture children of all backgrounds and abilities to become engaged citizens of the world by facilitating collaborative, experiential learning and creative expression, both in our museum space and through our community programs. 

Located in Downtown Santa Monica just blocks from the Pacific Ocean, the Cayton Children’s Museum offers 21,000 square feet of discovery-based exhibits and immersive play. We offer a robust calendar of arts and cultural activities designed for children 0 to 8 and their families, including public programs, festivals, camps, classes, workshops and more. 


Beyond museum walls, our community programs bring the Cayton experience into neighborhoods and schools to reach children with limited access to the museum. These experiences, which celebrate the creative, performance and visual arts, are offered throughout the year in partnership with non-profit and community-based organizations that serve parts of Los Angeles County where opportunities for creative, safe, purposeful, and free play are needed most. 
 

While the Cayton Children’s Museum opened to the public in 2019, our organization comes with 30 years of experience in values-based learning. Before we were the Cayton, we were the Zimmer Children’s Museum, serving more than 90,000 visitors a year in our home on Museum Row. Today, building from the heart of the Zimmer and nurtured by the soul of our diverse community, the Cayton is inspiring children and families everywhere to PLAY THEIR WAY TO A BETTER WORLD. 

Our Values

We believe people of all ages benefit from and need the inspiration, creativity, learning, connection, and freedom fostered by play.

We are a kid-centered organization. We trust, listen to, and learn from children, and we put their needs first in all our decision-making.

We provide a safe space where all kids and families belong. Our institution is inclusive and embraces the rich diversity of cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds, identities, family structures, and abilities of our community.

We know that big ideas emerge from collaboration, cooperation, and shared learning. This is also how kids (and adults) come to see the world through each other’s eyes and cultivate empathy, compassion, and kindness. Together we can accomplish great things.

Trying new things can be frightening for kids and grownups alike. But we believe that the surest way to achieve meaningful learning and growth is by taking risks. Stumbles and mistakes can be fertile ground for creativity.

We believe we owe it to our community to courageously and sensitively address issues that affect the lives of children—and us all. This includes honest conversations about social justice, race, and equity.

Our History

WHY PLAY?

Why Play?

Albert Einstein. Plato. Mr. Rogers. What do all three have in common? They all believed in the power of play to improve lives, strengthen communities and shape a better world. Here are just some of the benefits of play:

Play improves academic performance

Play optimizes cognitive development, including critical thinking, problem solving and comprehension, to support learning and improve academic performance. Additionally, play-based learning is shown to enhance “whole child readiness” by helping develop language and early math skills. In fact, as public schools increasingly see cuts to arts education funding, educators are also looking to play to fill gaps where our educational system is lacking.

Play makes our world bigger

Children acquire cultural values, skills, and abilities through play that influence their everyday experiences and interactions with other children and caregivers. Play can also expose us to people that are different from us to promote empathy and create shared understanding. In recognizing, respecting and representing a range of different cultures and perspectives, children develop a sense of identity and belonging.

Play helps children thrive in an ever-changing world

Play is often called “the work of children” because it is through play that children learn how to interact in their environment, discover their interests, and process their surroundings. As our world continues to evolve, play also helps to mitigate a child’s toxic stress and enhance their resiliency so they can more easily adapt to change.

Play builds life skills

Through play, we learn how to communicate with others and self-regulate our emotions to improve our lifelong success. Play also gives us an outlet to explore curiosities in a low-risk environment, building courage and confidence.

Play benefits the economy

Nationally, children’s museums contribute $5.5 billion to the economy each year and are a vital element of the tourism and cultural sector. They also help to improve educational outcomes, attract diverse audiences and transform neighborhoods through community building and local partnerships.

MEET OUR TEAM

Meet Our Team

Senior Management

Barry VanDeman

Interim Chief Executive Officer

Carly Harrill

Vice President, Development

Annie Sinzinger

Vice President, Marketing

Board Of Directors

Carl Freed

Chairperson

Susan Goldsmith

Vice Chair

Heather Lindsey

Treasurer

Hillary Mow Cervieri

Secretary

Kevin Beggs

Craig Erwich

Dean Golder

Andy Kleinman

Andy Meyers

Courtney Mizel

Aashika Patel

Liz Polk

Adam Waltuch

Grant Withers

Women’s Philanthropy Circle

Alexa Dell

Co-Chair

Katie Durko

Co-Chair

Jen Garcia Allen

Co-Chair

Cole Cohen

Deepika Chopra

Sarah Dickerson

Tiffany Fong

Katie Grosvenor

Halle Hammond

Laura Katzenberg

Claire Khodara

Mary Kitchen

Lauren Kleinman

Bari Goldberg

Christine Lim

Pia Mehta

Lindsay Henry O'Toole

Denise Perlstein

Catherine Powers

Tracy Robbins

Stephanie Schaffer

Brianne Turtletaub

Gina Wade

Chelsea Washington

Jennifer Wexler

Annie Yi

Haeran Zedeck

Board Of Advisors

Susan Amster

Barry Cayton

Kevin Washington

OUR SUPPORTERS

Our Annual Supporters

The Cayton is the product of so much love and support. We are grateful to our many donors whose critical support has made the Cayton the special place it is today.

FINANCIALS & REPORTS

Financials & Reports

Annual Report

Our Fiscal Year 2024 annual report is currently in progress.

Progress Reports

View our quarterly progress reports and see how the work we’re doing each day is helping us fulfill our mission.

If you would like to review earlier financials, please email development@caytonmuseum.org.

Financial Statements

As a non-profit organization, the Cayton Children’s Museum depends on the generosity of donors and foundations to make our work happen. In an effort to ensure fiscal transparency and accountability with those who generously support our efforts, please find our most recent audited financials and Form 990s below.

Audited Statements

990s:

CONTACT

Contact

Programs

Community Partnerships & Programs

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Check out the FAQ page HERE

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