2. Museum History
1975
Children’s Museum, Inc. incorporated in
Pawtucket, RI.
1977
Children’s Museum, housed in the Pitcher-
Goff House in Pawtucket, opened to the
public.
1979
Janice O’Donnell joins the staff as
administrative assistant.
Named changed to Children’s Museum
of Rhode Island.
3. 1982
36,000 visitors
Museum participates in AAM’s Museum
Assessment Program (MAP); assessor calls it
“one of the finest in the genre and a leader
among small children’s museums nationally.”
1983
Grandparents Guild founded
First annual campaign – raises $37k
Huestis marionettes accepted
1984
First annual golf tournament
1985
First director Jane Jerry leaves for new children’s museum in Houston;
O’Donnell appointed director.
4. 1986
Museum on Wheels created – brings traveling exhibit You Who?! to schools
and festivals
40,000 visitors to Museum, another 20,000 reached by Museum on Wheels
1987
Museum celebrates 10th anniversary.
Museum membership up 42% to 853 families.
1990
Visitation
tops 55,000
1992
Families
Together
launched
5. 1993 1995
Museum identifies Providence as future Capital Campaign achieves 50% of
home; city support secured $3 million goal
1994 Awarded grants from National
Museum purchases 100 South Street Endowments of Arts and
Humanities
Capital Campaign begins
1996
Construction at 100
South Street begins
Kresge Foundation
issues $300,000
challenge grant
6. 1997
Museum relocates to Providence
Capital Campaign tops $3 million
Museum welcomes first AmeriCorps team
1998
114,000 visitors
Learning Clubs and Head Start/Good Start
begin
Providence Preservation Society Award for
Adaptive Reuse
1999
Free at 5 on Friday begins
Annual Campaign raises $204k
Arts & Business Council Award for
Institutional Excellence
7. 2000
Children’s Garden created
ACM/MetLife Promising Practice Award
Philanthropy and Strategic Operating
Plans
2002
25 years of wonder anniversary
celebration
2003
Families Together top finalist for
Innovation in American Government Award
2004
Annual Campaign raises record $310,500
6,800 people in 1,900 families and groups are members
Marketing Study finds visitation is 36% market share
8. 2006
One-millionth visitor to Providence location
Families Together wins MetLife/ACM Promising
Practice Replication Award
2007
Play Works capital campaign launched
American Academy of Pediatrics proclaims play is
essential to healthy child development
2008
Interior and exterior building renovations
including new windows
Major new exhibit – Play Power – opens
Museum blog launched
Play Works campaign halfway to $1.5 million goal
9. 2009
Museum wins New England Museum
Association Leaders in Innovation Award
Mortgage on 100 South Street paid off
Record numbers – 162,356 visitors, 8,082
members
2010
The Climber and Underland open in The
Children’s Garden
Play Works campaign exceeds goal – raises
$1.8 million
Numbers of visits and members continue to
grow plus 12,000 served off-site
Museum provides training and professional
development for a dozen partner organizations
10. The mission of Providence Children's Museum is to inspire
and celebrate learning through active play and exploration.
The Museum welcomes children and adults of all backgrounds and from all
communities. Its focus is on serving southern New England children, ages 1
to 11, and the adults who care for them by:
• Presenting hands-on, play-filled exhibits and programs that explore the arts,
culture, history and science.
• Fostering children’s cognitive, social, emotional and physical development by
embracing a wide range of abilities, learning styles and forms of creative expression.
• Creating environments in which visitors share with and learn from one another, as
we learn from them.
• Being accessible and responsive to all families - culturally, physically and
economically.
• Working in partnership with other organizations to meet the needs of children
and families.
• Increasing awareness and knowledge of the ways in which children and families
learn.
11. The shared values of Providence Children’s Museum
staff and volunteers include:
• Respect for children, their caregivers,
each other and the differences among us
• Life-long love of learning
• The vital role of play in learning and
creativity
• The quality and beauty of our learning
environment
• Accessibility for all people
• Integrity in all we do
12. Audience
• 162,614 visitors in 2010
• 28% visit for free
• 23% of all general visitors live in low-
income neighborhoods
• 26% of visits are made by over 2,300
member families
• Most (89%) visit in family groups
• Most live within 30 miles – 67% are
Rhode Islanders
13. Programs & Partnerships
• Families Together – a collaboration
with the state’s child welfare agency
– brings court-separated families
together at the Children’s Museum
• The Museum is an AmeriCorps site.
AmeriCorps members serve inner-
city children through Head Start and
Learning Clubs
• The Museum provides professional
development training to Head Start
teachers, childcare workers and
social workers.
14. Volunteers & Staff
• 20 full time and 15 part
time staff members
• 13 AmeriCorps members
• Over 250 volunteers,
interns and college work-
study students serve more
than 11,000 hours annually
• 30-member Board of
Directors
