Long Island Children’s Museum

Long Island Children’s Museum is a learning space devoted to the busy work of play. Our exhibits, programs, and performances fuel creativity and collaboration to inspire millions of aha moments. At the Museum, children master skills and uncover passions that will stay with them throughout their lives.

The community comes together in one space to foster the growth of our next generation of artists, scientists, educators, entrepreneurs, and citizens. With materials often not available in your own home – whether it’s 10,000 KEVA planks or musical instruments from around the world – we provide opportunities for all children to explore the world around them and the world of ideas without judgment. The open environment encourages children to move freely and test their independence. By moving throughout the Patterns Studio, navigating Climb-It, or uncovering a new talent in a hands-on workshop, every child’s confidence grows as a problem-solver and creative thinker. The Museum is a safe place where we encourage adult-child interaction and observation and appreciation of our children’s growing skills during their endless experiences of discovery.

LICM is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), recognized as the field’s gold standard for museum excellence. It signifies a museum’s quality, credibility, and commitment to mission and community. Accreditation is accorded to the elite ranks of museums after a rigorous process that examines all aspects of a museum’s operations.  Less than 3% of the nation’s more than 30,000 museums have earned this recognition.  LICM is currently the only children’s museum in NY State and just one of 16 nationwide to achieve accreditation.

History

The Long Island Children’s Museum idea started as a dinner conversation in 1989 between a group of Long Island, New York City educators, artists, and business people—parents all. They wondered, “Why didn’t Long Island have the type of institution they often visited on their family travels across the country?” The conversation led to a commitment that has produced a nationally recognized community asset. EZ Bed Bug Exterminator Long Island

The museum opened as a private, not-for-profit institution in November 1993 in a 5,400-square-foot donated demonstration site. The community response was immediate and overwhelming, leading to seeking out a more prominent, permanent location. Nassau County approached the board to move to Museum Row, a 15-acre cultural site at Long Island, NYC historic Mitchel Field, a place that would also become home to the Cradle of Aviation Museum —with plans for the addition of a Firefighters Museum and Nunley’s Carousel.

The museum’s board launched a $17 million capital campaign in 1998 to build and renovate a 40,000-square-foot square-foot facility and the design and fabrication of museum exhibits. Government officials have widely touted this public/private partnership as an ideal model for other museums to emulate.

 

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