Discovery Center Wins Award for Play Free
The Association of Science and Technology Centers honored the Kansas Children's Discovery Center's Play Free program with its 2026 Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge award.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Child Care
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The Kansas Children's Discovery Center received the 2026 Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge award from the Association of Science and Technology Centers for its Play Free program. The program uses play-based learning to strengthen relationships between incarcerated parents and their children.
Why it matters
The Play Free program began as a 2018 pilot in Kansas museums in partnership with the Topeka Correctional Facility and has since expanded statewide. The recognition highlights an approach that aims to support family bonds for children with a parent in prison.
The program has hosted 81 events and welcomed more than 3,900 participant visits since its 2018 pilot began in Kansas museums. The source does not report outcome measures for the program's effect on parent-child relationships.
The players
Kansas Children's Discovery Center
A Topeka-based science museum for children that runs hands-on learning programs for families across Kansas.
Association of Science and Technology Centers
A professional membership organization that represents science centers and museums worldwide and presents annual awards for innovation in the field.
Topeka Correctional Facility
A Kansas state correctional facility in Topeka that partnered with the museum on the Play Free pilot.
The details
The Play Free program uses play-based learning to help incarcerated parents and their children strengthen their relationships. It began as a pilot in Kansas museums in partnership with the Topeka Correctional Facility and is now working to become a nationwide initiative.
Timeline
• 2018: The Play Free pilot began in Kansas museums.
• Week of November 10, 2026: The Kansas Children's Discovery Center announced the Shafer award.
• November 12, 2026: A documentary screening about the program is scheduled at the Arts Center in Lawrence.
Leading Edge Recognition
The Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge award from the Association of Science and Technology Centers recognizes innovative museum programs, and Play Free's 2026 win places a prison-family initiative among those honored. The program's origin as a 2018 museum pilot in partnership with a state correctional facility distinguishes it from typical museum outreach.
Families in Kansas with a parent in a correctional facility may find Play Free's play-based programming as a way to stay connected. Residents in Lawrence can attend the November 12 documentary screening at the Arts Center.
The takeaway
Programs that use play to connect families can help children maintain bonds during hard circumstances. Community members interested in similar efforts can look to museum partnerships with local institutions.
What happens next
A documentary screening about the Play Free program is scheduled for November 12, 2026, at the Arts Center in Lawrence.
Further reading
Explore more on Child Care for related family and early learning programs across Kansas.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KSNT 27.
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