Our mission is to engage children, and the people who care for them, in playful, creative, hands-on exploration and discovery.
Our purpose is to encourage kids and adults alike to embrace active, lifelong learning. We create and maintain museum spaces, events and programs that are inclusive, engaging, playful and fun for ALL of the region’s kids and families.
We envision a region where children, families, students and educators have a wide network of facilities to support them in learning, engagement, play and quality time together. We will strive to be an essential part of that network.
The Seattle Children’s Museum was founded in 1980 to engage children and families in playful learning. Our 18,000 square foot location, right in the middle of the beautiful Seattle Center campus, offers endless opportunities for imagination, curiosity and adventure.
Our fantastic staff, all-day admission, and the many activities, experiences and food venues on campus ensure that you’ll enjoy your time at Seattle Children’s Museum.
Our goals:
- Set the stage for young children to build competency through engagement, interactions, physical challenges and hands-on experiences
- Renew a deep commitment to fostering literacy, art, language, numeracy and communication skills for kids from birth to 10 years old
- Connect to Seattle’s varied and diverse neighborhoods
- Create and renew exhibits that have justice, equity, inclusion, diversity, visibility, access and anti-racism built in.
- Build relationships with the early learning community in and around the region
Values Statements
We recognize that our VALUES must be visible, and must permeate all aspects of museum activities, including:
- Exhibits and Programs
- Staffing, Hiring and Management
- Operations and Administration
- Visitor and Volunteer Engagement
- Community Participation and Outreach
We therefore pledge that in all things, the Children’s Museum staff, board and volunteers will VALUE:
- Joyful Learning for All
- Respect for All
- Inclusivity, Equity and Engagement for All
- Community Building for All
- Sustainability at All Scales
- Curiosity at All Levels
Social Justice and Anti-Racism at Seattle Children’s Museum
The Seattle Children’s Museum recognizes the privilege from which the historically white-led arts and culture sector has benefited, and the inherent systemic bias which often prevents people of color and those with other diverse perspectives and life experiences from participating in equitable and inclusive creative environments. We strive to understand and change our place, past and future, on the spectrum of social justice and equity. We commit to working toward a just and equitable future for all, free of oppression. We will engage staff, board members, volunteers, members and visitors in our commitment to pursuing anti-racist practices in all aspects of our work.
Our current and future work includes:
- Allocating time and resources to examining and dismantling practices that led to oppression or micro-agressions;
- Expanding participation in our Board of Directors and Advisory Board to include broader representation of the communities we hope to serve;
- Promoting diversity, equity, inclusion and access in our hiring process, as we restaff the museum post-pandemic;
- Ensuring that the exhibits, programs and events we offer are open, accessible and welcoming to all of Seattle’s communities, whether by geography, identity or affiliation.
The work will be ongoing, and our goal is to incorporate anti-racist practices and checks into the culture of the organization so that it is persistent and present at all levels.
