Mayor Barbara Lee and CEO Kymberly Miller announced on Monday that Children\u2019s Fairyland \u2013 the country\u2019s first theme park designed for small children \u2013 has secured a $5 million allocation from the state of California to close out phase one of its capital investment in the park, designed to facilitate the initial stages of restoration and revitalization. Investment at this level reflects the commitment of Governor Newsom, Oakland\u2019s representatives in Sacramento, and city leaders to fortify institutions that shape childhood, build community, and strengthen civic fabric.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor 75 years, Fairyland has given Oakland\u2019s children a place to imagine what\u2019s possible. I still remember bringing my sons here, and today we\u2019re making sure the next generation gets that same magic. This $5 million is a proud victory for Oakland because every dollar we put into community spaces comes back to us in the children they raise,\u201d said Mayor Barbara Lee.<\/p>\n
Children\u2019s Fairyland has been a vital part of Oakland\u2019s culture since its opening in 1950. It is a place where generations of children, families, and lifelong fans have made their earliest memories. As the park that pioneered children\u2019s entertainment in this country, Fairyland forever changed the landscape of \u201cfamily fun\u201d as it is known today. Children\u2019s Fairyland is ten acres of green space on the shores of Lake Merritt, designed for outdoor play and low-tech, high-touch hands-on learning. It is a rare and increasingly precious resource for children. The $5 million in
state funding is an important milestone on the journey toward securing a sustainable future for Fairyland\u2019s next 75 years, so that it continues to be a vital nurturing space where children play, grow, imagine, create, and learn.<\/p>\n
A strategic win for sustainability
The $5 million allocation will fund numerous initiatives within Fairyland\u2019s strategic capital investment plan, including essential infrastructure and facility upgrades \u2014 work that Fairyland CEO Kymberly Miller describes as foundational, rather than final. \u201cThis funding is a launchpad, not a landing place. We have much more work to do to create the Fairyland of tomorrow. We\u2019re deeply grateful to Governor Newsom, Mayor Lee, and our State of California partners for recognizing what Fairyland means to this community, to Oakland, and to the entire Bay Area. We are laying the groundwork for Fairyland\u2019s financial sustainability so we can continue to be a safe and inclusive environment for playing and learning, where children build critical literacy skills and grow both socially and emotionally.\u201d<\/p>\n
A vote of confidence. A powerful partnership.
The state funding is a commitment to ensure the 76-year-old iconic and beloved Oakland destination remains a safe, vibrant, and accessible oasis for generations to come. It also signals a broader shift underway at Fairyland. As an organization upheld and supported by its community, admissions, memberships, and the generosity of donors of all kinds, Children\u2019s Fairyland is now adding the kind of institutional support it needs to fuel the next phase of its
modernization. \u201cThis funding is an important milestone in Fairyland\u2019s ongoing efforts to secure its future. We could not be more grateful for our partnerships with local and state leaders, for their vote of confidence in Fairyland\u2019s future, and for the acknowledgement of its vital role in the lives of Bay Area families,\u201d said Jana Pastena, President of the Children\u2019s Fairyland Board of Directors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mayor Barbara Lee and CEO Kymberly Miller announced on Monday that Children\u2019s Fairyland \u2013 the country\u2019s first theme…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":487649,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[143,145,144],"class_list":["post-487648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=487648"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487648\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/487649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=487648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=487648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=487648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}