Parents incarcerated on Rikers reunite with their children at the Brooklyn Children's Museum * Brooklyn Paper

"Once a month, when the Brooklyn Children's Museum is closed to the public, it welcomes a special group of visitors: parents incarcerated at Rikers Island and their children. The Haven: Reunification program, hosted in partnership with the city's Department of Correction, gives kids and parents a comfortable, welcoming place to play, bond and learn during long periods of separation. It was designed to blunt the impact of incarceration on children and combat recidivism after parents are released."

""I think we, as adults, don't really think about play as a common factor in our existence, but it shows up in everything we do, it shows up in the music, it shows up in the places we go," Edwards said. "Having these families spend two to three hours at the museum, playing together, it takes us back to the core essence of who you are.""

The Haven: Reunification program brings parents incarcerated at Rikers Island and their children to the Brooklyn Children's Museum once a month when the museum is closed to the public. The program, hosted with the city's Department of Correction, provides a self-contained, welcoming exhibit where families can play, do art projects and workshops, read, and talk during visits. The program aims to blunt the impact of incarceration on children, support family autonomy and bonding, and help combat recidivism after release. Play is emphasized as central to identity, and small shared moments, like sliding together, create profound joy.

Read at Brooklyn Paper