Culture

The Fort Worth Zoo Welcomes A New State-Of-The-Art Educational Hub

The Exploration & Learning Center Brings The Wild World Closer Than Ever

By Courtney Dabney // Jun 4, 2024

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The Exploration & Learning Center adds to the Fort Worth Zoo's educational mission in a state-of-the-art facility.

The new Exploration & Learning Center adds to the educational mission of the Fort Worth Zoo.

The flexible learning space inside the newly unveiled ELC will allow for more attendees to summer camps as well.

As Zoo Camp gets underway this week, the Fort Worth Zoo has a new space for children to explore the wilder side of nature.

The vast deck brings the classroom outdoors at the Fort Worth Zoo.

The Fort Worth Zoo is way more than just a collection of exhibits. One of the top tourist attractions in Dallas-Fort Worth takes its mission of education and conservation seriously. Now, just in time for this year’s first Summer Zoo Camps to get underway ― the grand opening of its second on-site education facility, the Exploration & Learning Center (ELC), took place last week ― furthering the mission and strengthening the bond between humans and wildlife.

“Our dream is to inspire future conservationists and foster a commitment to wildlife stewardship in the next generation,” says Ramona Bass, chair of the Fort Worth Zoological Association Board of Directors, in a statement.

This new ELC space will serve as an additional hub for the Fort Worth Zoo’s education programs.

The Exploration & Learning Center has approximately 11,000 square feet of space — making more room for campers each summer, and increasing the availability of financial assistance, allowing more students to experience the summer enrichment programs.

“There is a dangerous disconnect between children and the environment,” Bass says, “and now more than ever we must instill an appreciation of wild things and wild places within our community.”

Zoo Camp held inside new ELC — As Zoo Camp gets underway this week, the Fort Worth Zoo has a new space for children to explore the wilder side of nature.

An Educational Addition

You’ll find the brand new, state-of-the-art building located within the Fort Worth Zoo. It is tucked behind the Museum of Living Art (MOLA), which Forests & Jungles of the World will eventually surround ― the fourth and final phase of the $130-million, four-phase A Wilder Vision campaign. We got to tour the third installment last summer ― Predators of Asia & Africa, which opened in June 2023.

There are flexible interior walls inside the ELC to maximize the functionality of the space ― providing six classrooms and multi-purpose space.

“One end of the building has large overhead doors that open onto a stone plaza and the other end has sliding glass doors that open to the 2,500-square-foot deck,” the release goes on. “These features provide wonderful natural light and offer the ability to seamlessly extend learning outdoors. In addition to the six classrooms, the building will have a separate area that can be used as an extra classroom or as a stage.”

In recent years, demand for formal education has increased. Summer Camp enrollment has grown 45 percent since 2018 with hundreds of children on the wait list yearly. Zoo Preschool has also grown 30 percent in the last six years. The ELC will allow as many children as possible to participate in the Zoo’s popular programming ― closing the gap between the natural world and its amazing wildlife and the confines of today’s childhood ― which is increasingly growing up in the concrete jungle.

The Exploration & Learning Center was made possible with a generous matching grant from the Once Upon a Time Foundation, major support from the Sid W. Richardson Foundation and the Morris Foundation, and grants from the Fort Worth Zoo’s community partners including the Junior League of Fort Worth, Inc., and Tarrant County who provided ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funding.