Long Island Children’s Museum is an incredible learning space that is highly devoted to the busy work entailing kids’ play activities. Their exhibits, performances and programs are meant to fuel collaboration as well as creativity that inspires millions of aha-moments. Here, children will master unique skills that help them life-long passions that will be with them all through their lives. At the museum, the future is always present!
The Long Island Children’s Museum is an idea that was born over a dinner conversation among a group of business persons, educators and educators from Long Island back in 1989. The underlying question they had was why Long Island lacked the type of institution that they had growing up. This debate led to commitments from the individuals present, leading to the production of this community asset that was nationally recognized.
In November 1993, the Long Island Children’s Museum opened as a non-profit private institution, built on a donated demonstration site sitting on 5,400 sq. ft. The community’s response was overwhelmingly positive, and it led to the decision to seek out a more permanent site that was larger. Nassau County, New York officials approached the board, and presented their idea to move the site to Museum row, a cultural site that was 15 acres in size. The proposed site was the Mitchel Historic Field on Long Island.
In 1998, Long Island Children’s Museum board launched a campaign to the tune of $17 Million, with the intentions of building and renovating a 40,000 sq. ft. facility. These funds would also be used to fabricate as well as the museum exhibits. This unique type of private/ public partnership has been touted widely by government officials, terming it as quite an ideal model that other museums could emulate.
February 2002 saw the opening of the permanent museum. Today, LICM is home to 14 exhibit galleries that are interactive and hands on. In addition to this, there are 4 class-size learning studios and a theatre (140-seat). Both outdoor and indoor gallery spaces are age-appropriate, interdisciplinary as well as intergenerational, fostering co-operative and independent exploration, while encouraging the concept of development and skills building.
Long Island Children’s Museum is a proud recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, which is the highest honor that is conferred on libraries and museums in the nation, as a way to recognize and appreciate the facility’s extraordinary service to the Nassau County community and country at large.
Courtesy of Dentistry On Broadway
Also visit Jones Beach State Park, Nassau County, NY
