User:Jrazo/Austin Children's Museum

Austin Children's Museum

The Austin Children’s Museum provides exciting opportunities for children to develop their creative thinking skills with the support of the adults in their lives. Located on 2nd and Colorado in Austin, Texas, the 12,500 sq. ft museum is the home of permanent exhibits En Mi Famila, Funstruction Zone, Global City and many more plus a rotating featured exhibit. With over 200,000 visitors annually it is a tourist hotspot and a local favorite. The Museum is funded through a combination of contributed support, earned revenue and government grants.

Mission
Austin Children's Museum creates innovative learning experiences for children and families that equip and inspire the next generation of creative problem solvers.

History
1983: The Austin Children’s Museum is founded as a “Museum without walls” by a grass-roots coalition of parents and educators. Exhibits and programs are hosted in schools, parks, recreation centers, libraries, and malls.

1987: The Museum opens its doors with 5,000 square feet on West 5th Street.

1997: A successful $4.8 million expansion campaign leads to creation of the Museum's new downtown location at the Dell Discovery Center. The expansion was funded through $1 million in lead gifts, 81 donor gifts of $10,000 dollars or more, and a 10-year rent-free lease on the building.

More than 800,000 visitors have enjoyed exhibits and programs since the Museum doors opened at its current home.

Exhibits
En mi familia/In My Family, Funstruction Zone, Global City, Kid Metro, Rising Star Ranch (exclusively for toddlers), Tinkerer’s Workshop

A featured exhibit is featured every 6 months.

Programs
Daily Storytime, Community Night, Engineering Saturday, Science Sunday, School Tours, Baby Bloomers, Camps,Community Group Sleepovers, Gingerbread House Workshops, Blog @ blog.austinkids.org

Community Outreach
By providing Museum experiences to underserved audiences, ACM broadens its ability to equip and inspire the next generation of creative problem solvers. Programs include: After-school robotics classes at Title One schools, Family Learning Nights, Open Door Access program and Cuentos de Familia.