Give Wings to Curiosity

Keeping Up With Demand

The Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium’s educational programs are well-respected and highly sought after in our community. The Zoo offers one of the most unique learning environments in the city, where children can learn about the science of animal care and preserving nature while having a great time! Unfortunately, we are currently limited in the amount of programming we can provide due to space. To benefit more families, we must expand our Conservation & Learning Center. In 2025, the Zoo reached a staggering number of individuals - 483,451 – through its education and conservation programs. Over the past four years, education and conservation staff has doubled to meet the rising demand but key offerings such as camps, homeschool, and preschool programs still book up quickly, limiting the families we can serve.

Better For Learning

As our programs continue to grow, we have had to make difficult decisions about which get prioritized for space. During spring break, for example, there are not enough classrooms for both day camp and homeschool programs to occur on the same days. More classrooms will allow opportunities for growth and expansion of current programs, plus the ability to explore new ones to continue to meet the community’s needs. Probably our most well-known program, Summer Break Camp, sells out some sessions within days of opening registration in February. We have reached our maximum quantity of camps, but additional classroom spaces will allow us to increase capacity. In turn, we’ll be able to serve more children, including those who attend camp on scholarships provided through funding from Zoo partners. Part of the project will include a dedicated lab and makerspace. The lab will allow for science experiments, water testing, microscopes, and more. The makerspace’s 3D printers, Glowforge, Cricut, and other equipment will continue to help our staff in developing innovative strategies for teaching about nature and conservation. Animal biofacts, hands-on education opportunities, and a variety of take-home crafts and activities are all examples of how we can bring lessons to life.

Better for Zoo Guests

Some of the existing education space will be converted to restrooms for guests who have not yet entered the Zoo, creating more streamlined access for young children or adults whose needs can’t wait until they’ve come through the front gate. Also included will be a quiet room for individuals with sensory issues that can be used by children participating in programming as well as daily Zoo guests. A mother’s room will also be added, adding a much-needed amenity near the front of the Zoo. Much of the space will become a multifunction room that can be used for guest speakers, classes, or rental opportunities. These renovations will ensure the Zoo remains a premier community resource capable of hosting conservation speakers and community meetings for years to come. Though this expansion project is centered around educational programming, the Conservation & Learning Center will be surrounded by three North American animal habitats. The current trumpeter swan area will be renovated with a new, larger pond, while bald eagle and bobcat areas will be added behind the building. Students will have a view of the animals from their classroom while Zoo guests will enjoy the animals as they stroll towards the World Gate train and tram depot.

Better for Zoo Employees

While critical to our mission, the number of Conservation & Education employees has outgrown our current space. In addition, this team also includes 187 volunteer Docents and VolunTeens who contributed more than 16,000 hours of time in 2025. To provide world-class programming, both staff and volunteers need space and resources to accomplish all the behind-the-scenes work it takes to carry out our mission. In our current facility, there is limited space for shared work stations, and storage of materials often overflows beyond closets into personal workspaces or hallways. A lack of dedicated space for business to be conducted means meetings, collaboration sessions, activity testing, and private coaching with leadership are competing with programming for classroom space. The addition of office space will make it much easier for this growing team to do their jobs, encouraging a more productive and focused work environment. Besides delivering lessons and managing our conservation and sustainability programs, they are also researching and planning lessons, preparing hands-on materials, curating visual aids, and more. The team will also finally be located in the same building, which is not currently the case.