Where Children Discover Their Gifts and Imagine What's Possible

Sara Meyer is an education and nonprofit executive, former middle school educator, and longtime advocate for children and families, with more than two decades of experience spanning education, community development, nonprofit leadership, and child-centered programming. Her early work included teaching middle school students with diverse learning abilities in a specialized creative-learning environment, helping shape a career-long focus on understanding the whole child and removing barriers to learning.

Meyer has pursued extensive professional development in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), trauma-informed education and care, accessibility, neurodiversity, crisis response, restorative practices, and inclusive and sensory-responsive learning environments, including ACEs-focused training through Valencia College. Her continuing education also spans nonprofit and executive leadership, governance, strategic planning, capital development, visitor experience, and museum accessibility through university programs, national conferences, and organizations including the Association of Children's Museums and American Alliance of Museums. She studied at the University of Vermont and has presented at conferences across the country on education and supporting children with diverse learning needs.

As Founder and Executive Director of 8 Waves, Meyer has translated that experience into an intensive, relationship-driven model serving children and families from preschool through high school. Today, as Founder of I AM Children's Museum, she is bringing together decades of education and nonprofit leadership with more than two years of dedicated museum field research — including benchmarking 117+ museums and learning institutions across 36+ states, international research, and direct engagement with museum and exhibit-development leaders — to advance Orange County's first dedicated children's museum.

8 Waves began in 2018 after founder Sara Meyer was called into the Winter Garden community following the shooting of a local high school student. That experience became the beginning of something much larger: rather than arriving with a predetermined solution, Meyer spent nearly two years building relationships, listening to families, schools, and community leaders, and understanding what the community identified as its greatest needs.

Today, 8 Waves works alongside more than 1,000 students from preschool through high school, providing intensive, relationship-based support centered on Stability, Education, and Opportunity. Its work extends far beyond traditional programming, with teams engaging families directly in their neighborhoods through weekly door-to-door outreach, school-based academic and reading intervention, family resource navigation, and individualized support. More than 113 active volunteers help extend this work throughout the communities 8 Waves serves.

Partnership is fundamental to the 8 Waves model. Rather than duplicating services, 8 Waves works alongside schools, nonprofits, businesses, volunteers, and community organizations to strengthen existing resources, identify gaps, and connect families with the support they need. The approach remains the same as it was at the beginning: show up consistently, listen first, build trust, and develop solutions alongside the community.

I AM Children's Museum grew from 8 Waves' commitment to education and founder Sara Meyer's vision to create a lasting cultural, educational, and tourism asset for Orange County. The museum has been shaped through more than two years of research and development, including benchmarking 117+ museums and learning institutions across 36+ states, international research, engagement with the Association of Children's Museums, industry leaders and exhibit-development experts, and extensive community input.

Planned for Winter Garden, I AM is being developed as Orange County's first dedicated children's museum, bringing together original hands-on exhibits, creative arts, literacy, discovery, and indoor and covered outdoor educational experiences. The museum is planned at approximately 35,000 square feet, plus 2+ miles of eco-educational Discovery Trails connecting directly to the West Orange Trail. Designed for both residents and visiting families, I AM will offer a distinctive half-day, rest-day, and weather-resilient family experience that complements Orange County's world-renowned tourism offerings rather than competing with them.

Located in Walt Disney World's backyard, with convenient access from State Road 429 and direct connectivity to the 22-mile West Orange Trail, I AM is positioned within western Orange County's growing tourism and lodging corridor. The museum is designed to expand Orange County's portfolio of family cultural experiences, encourage visitors to explore beyond the traditional theme-park itinerary, and create a new reason for families to spend additional time in Orange County.

At the center of I AM is the same philosophy that shaped 8 Waves: listen first and build with the community. Families and community partners continue to inform the museum's development — from exhibits and educational experiences to elements of its identity — while literacy and learning are intentionally woven throughout play and discovery. The result will be a distinctly Orange County children's museum built to serve local families while becoming a recognizable family cultural destination within one of the world's leading tourism markets.