KATE DALY
WESTFIELD – Kate Daly’s is excited to have been selected by the Amelia Park Children’s Museum’s Board of Directors to succeed Karen Rubin as director of the museum. Rubin was selected as the Museum’s first Director in 2011.
Daly, a native of the Berkshires who worked previously at a non-profit preschool in Lenox, said Thursday that she is enthusiastic about her goals and ambitions as the museum’s new director.
“I want to make improvements and to make sure our staff and customers are happy, because that’s what we need,” she said. “We’re a non-profit, so our goal is to help people learn, play, and grow in a creative way.”
“To get more people to know where we are, because I think we’re kind of tucked back in Westfield,” Daly added. “We’re still doing our Penguin Plunge at the end of January, and Halloween activities. We’re just trying to get more involved with the community and the community more involved with us.”
Daly said that the museum will be making an appearance at the Eastern States Exposition this fall, and that the museum’s growth and it’s tradition are the highlights of the position for her.
“I love it. I used to work at a preschool that was a non-profit, and I think what you can give to the outside is just amazing,” she said. “With this museum being the first children’s museum here (in Westfield), I hope we can continue to build on that, not only in Westfield, but in other counties around, and to keep it growing.”
Daly, who graduated from Westfield State University in 2012 with a master’s degree in early childhood education, and also has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and writing from Sacred Heart University, is hoping to offer new opportunities at the museum for community members and visitors alike.
“I’d love to implement something like an infant group that meets once or twice a week, for parents who have two kids. They can drop one kid off at school and can come here,” she said. “We are doing story hour every Monday and crafts every Thursday, but there’s a lot in the works. We’re trying to update our exhibits and build upon what we have.”
She believes that keeping Amelia Park’s Children’s Museum strong is a vital part of starting Westfield’s youth off on the right foot.
“We want to keep it (the museum) strong and in Westfield, which is why we’re going to be engaging in more city activities,” she said.
