The Children’s Museum of Richmond

This article is written by Grace Liu as part of ThinkYouthRVA’s December 2018 issue. This month’s theme is non- profits.

The Children’s Museum of Richmond was founded in 1977 and has since then spread to several other locations in Virginia, including Short Pump, Chesterfield and Fredericksburg. The organization caters to children by offering educational hands-on exhibits for them to interact with. The Children’s Museum’s mission, per their mission statement, is “to inspire growth in all children by engaging families in learning through play.” The organization puts an emphasis on helping children learn, through combining education and playtime. It also provides easy access to families, with its All Fund allowing access to admission, membership, and program tuition to those who couldn’t afford them otherwise.

Another important aspect of the museum is the volunteer-based exhibits. The museum offers volunteer opportunities to middle and high schoolers who help in exhibit upkeep and keeping the children engaged. In general, middle and high schoolers would most likely be more easy to interact with for children, as they too are learning in school on a regular basis and would be better in teaching children. It also provides a source for youths to volunteer and encourages giving back to the community in that aspect. The program is also convenient for parents, as they can either let their child play as they choose or interact with them.

As of 2016, the Children’s Museum of Richmond was able to distribute over 48,000 books to students who would otherwise have no access to books through the Central Virginia book bank. It is an example of the overall impact of the organization. It provides children an incentive, through toys and games, to engage themselves in something that allows them to learn about a certain topic. The Children’s Museum provides exhibits based on real-life processes and condenses them to a child-friendly structures that the children can interact with.