FAQs
How many children’s museums are in the U.S.?
How is a children’s museum different from other museums?
Is the government at any level providing financial support for the children’s museum?
Are the Mayor, the City Council and the Chamber of Commerce supportive of the Children’s Museum?
What has the NEW Children’s Museum been doing since it closed in Washington Commons in 2006?
What is a children’s museum?
Children’s museums are institutions committed to serving the needs and interests of children by providing exhibits and programs that stimulate curiosity and motivate learning. Children’s museums bring children and families together in a new kind of ―Town Square,‖ where play inspires lifelong learning. Outreach programs for at-risk and under-served youth, school partnerships, and parent resource programs in early childhood are just some of the ways children’s museums serve families in their communities.
Who are our patrons?
- Families with children between the ages of 1 and 10
- Daycare centers (groups)
- Family care centers (groups)
- Head Start, Even Start, Neighborhood Family Resource Centers
- Family Violence Center, Literacy and Parent Groups
- Grade Schools throughout Northeast Wisconsin
- Boy Scouts, Brownies and Junior Girl Scouts
- Family visitors from out of town and conventioneer families
The Children’s Museum will provide free admission to children and families with limited incomes. For example, through its Children of Promise program, the museum raised $5,000 in 2003 from individuals and businesses to provide museum programs to children from low-income families and to groups from low-income areas of the city. Parents of all financial backgrounds can contribute to their children’s education at the Children’s Museum.
Visitors who receive free admission or low-income memberships reflect much greater ethnic diversity than the county’s population. For example, 7 percent of discounted admissions were used by Hispanic children, while that group is only 3 percent of the county population; 10 percent were Asian children, compared to 3 percent of the population; 7 percent were African American children, compared to the 3 percent population they represent in Brown County.
How many children’s museums are in the U.S.?
There are approximately 265 members in the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM). ACM estimates that there are about 80 children’s museums in start-up phase in the United States.
How is a children’s museum different from other museums?
A Children’s Museum emphasizes education and contextual, interactive exhibits. More traditional museums focus on preservation/research, permanent collections, and non-tactile displays. The Children’s Museum of Green Bay is child-centered, focusing on the needs and interests of the audience, motivating learning, and empowering visitors through direct experience. Children’s museums are a pioneering and dynamic group of institutions that are challenging and redefining the boundaries of the traditional museum world.
How confident are you that the Children’s Museum can be located on the site of the old Younkers building?
Also, the community was told the new museum would be located at the National Railroad Museum and that didn’t happen. What is the difference this time? The Children’s Museum is a key component to the revitalization of Downtown Green Bay. It has the support of the mayor, local businesses, and the community. When we were looking for a location, our hope was to remain downtown in the heart of the city, where the museum would be easily accessible to all. Due to many financial factors, this was not an option so we decided to build at the NRM site. It became apparent early in the NRM process that downtown was where we needed to be. So when the mayor approached us about a development happening that would allow us to move back downtown, we switched locations.
Is the government at any level providing financial support for the children’s museum?
We have received TIFF funding from the city. We are also working with the state on New Market Tax Credits for our financing.
Are the Mayor, the City Council and the Chamber of Commerce supportive of the Children’s Museum?
Yes they all are very supportive of the project and want to see the museum built in the downtown area. The Mayor is our Honorary Co Chair for our campaign. We also have a resolution of support from the Chamber.
How will you sustain the Children’s Museum once it is built? Will you have to conduct a fund-raising campaign each year for annual gift support?
We will sustain ourselves through our admission and memberships. Much like other nonprofit organizations we will also have an annual appeal for the museum.
The Children’s Museum has been closed for three years. Why conduct a campaign now in a recessionary economic environment? Why do you think you can be successful?
When we were approached to move downtown, the project was due to move forward and the museum was due to be built by fall 2007. Unfortunately, due to a number of outside factors, the project was postponed a number of times.
Finally, in summer 2008, the developer was able to position the entire project before the council for their approval. At that time he began to seek project financing for the two phases of the project. The museum, parking and commercial spaces were slated first and the condominium portion was to follow. Only after this decision was made were we able to fund-raise for the museum. Unfortunately the economy turned during this time. The Children’s Museum is an important part of a healthy community. We are unique with our hands-on education exhibits and programming.
We partner with many organizations in the community to make a safe place for children and families to gather. It has been shown by the Association of Children’s Museums that even in tough economic times, children’s museums flourish due to the reasonable admission cost and the unique environment they offer.
What has the NEW Children’s Museum been doing since it closed in Washington Commons in 2006?
Since February 2006, when the museum closed its Washington Commons location, we have remained very involved in the community with our free, hands-on programming. Some of the different organizations we have collaborated with include:
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We have also taken this time to work on the programming component of our exhibits. Examples of this include our new Bellin Health Exhibit and United Health Care Healthy Living Program. Both allow us to offer monthly programming on the digestive system, childhood obesity, asthma and allergies, and an assortment of issues and problems facing children and families today.
We are also working closely with Fire Station 1 on our Fire Safety Exhibit. We will address many fire issues in this house, including the two basics: family fire exit strategies and the use of smoke alarms