The Westchester Children’s Museum Launches Family Access Membership (FAM) Program
Exciting news from the Westchester Children’s Museum with the launch of the Family Access Membership (FAM) program. Incredibly, the FAM program is the region’s first financial equity-based museum membership model. Through the program, the region’s most at-risk and underserved families will be able to receive a premium level of Museum membership for $25 (normally $250), providing a 90% discount to eligible qualifying families.
Despite Westchester County’s reputation for affluence and quality schools, one in 10 children lives in poverty, with over 22,000 children in the region lacking access to playful learning experiences. The FAM program will aim to solve this disparity.
As the first year of the program, the Museum aims to provide 1,000 FAM memberships to underserved families. This program allots up to six family members to be on one membership, member-only opportunities, free parking, birthday party discounts, and more. To quality, families would have to be participating in one of the following programs. This includes WIC, SNAP, a free and reduced lunch letter from the school district, and/or a state healthcare/medicaid card.
Importance of the Program
“Our goal at the Westchester Children’s Museum is to make learning in our playful, hands-on exhibit environment accessible to every child, regardless of any challenging socioeconomic circumstances. With the launch of the Family Access Membership, we are taking a decisive step towards ensuring that everyone in this region feels welcome to visit regularly and to share, collaborate, problem solve, and play in our vibrant learning space,” says Thomas Sullivan, Executive Director of the Westchester Children’s Museum. “We are especially grateful to Chubb for being our inaugural corporate donor. We hope others follow their lead to join us in this landmark endeavor for the Museum and the community.”
About the Westchester Children’s Museum
With a focus on play for childhood development, the Westchester Children’s Museum offers access to hands-on exhibits. The museum is a light-filled, colorful, vibrant learning space for children aged 0-13 and their families, caregivers, and teachers. The exhibits and programming fosters critical thinking, social-emotional development, problem-solving, and STEAM skills. Additionally, the museum offers learning opportunities in physics, science, art, technology, and design as well as places to create, build, and explore. They also regularly host events such as readings, seasonal events, and more.
Westchester Children’s Museum Details
Open daily from 9:00am-5:00pm
Admission is $14 per person, $12 for seniors, and free for children under one. $3 per person with EBT & ID, Blue Star Museum.
Free for members
100 Playland Parkway
Rye, NY
914-421-5050
For more information on the FAM program and how to support the initiative, visit the Westchester Children’s Museum website: discoverwcm.org.
