San Diego Childrens Discovery Museum

SAN DIEGO CHILDREN'S DISCOVERY MUSEUM SPARKS A LOVE OF LEARNING SO ALL CHILDREN CAN DISCOVER THEIR WILDEST DREAMS. OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE IS TO BE THE LEADERS IN INVENTIVE EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING. OUR VALUES: WE ASPIRE TO SERVE ALL CORNERS OF SAN DIEGO AND ADJACENT COUNTIES. WE BELIEVE IN LEARNING THROUGH HANDS-ON PLAY. WE BELIEVE IN NURTURING KIND HEARTS AND CURIOUS MINDS. WE BELIEVE IN EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE INCLUSIVE AND OPEN TO ALL.

FOR OVER TWO DECADES, SDCDM HAS SHARED OUR MUSEUM SPACE WITH ALL CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, MANY OF WHOM WOULD HAVE LITTLE TO NO ACCESS TO SUPPLEMENTAL EDUCATIONAL ENRICHMENT EXPERIENCES WITHOUT US. THE MUSEUM'S 13,000 SQUARE FEET OF INDOOR AND OUTDOOR VITAL GUIDED PLAY AREAS, HANDS-ON LEARNING ACTIVITIES, AND TWICE- DAILY EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS CREATE AN IDEAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR DEVELOPING AND REINFORCING CHILDREN'S EARLY FOUNDATIONAL FLUENCIES AND STEM LEARNING. OUR MOBILE MUSEUM ADDRESSES DISPARITIES OF EQUITABLE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES BY BRINGING SUPPLEMENTAL ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO YOUNG CHILDREN WHERE THEY ARE. THE PROGRAM BUILDS OVER 50 FOUNDATIONAL FLUENCIES AND HELPS DEVELOP CHILDREN'S COGNITIVE SKILLS, SOCIAL ABILITIES, AND PHYSICAL WELL-BEING FROM THE EARLIEST CHILDHOOD YEARS WHEN IT MATTERS THE MOST. MOBILE WORKSHOPS FOCUS ON STEM AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SKILLS AND ALIGN WITH PRESCHOOL LEARNING FOUNDATIONS. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT CHILDREN WHO ENGAGE IN HIGH-QUALITY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATIONAL ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES LIKE THOSE OFFERED BY SDCDM ARE MORE LIKELY TO ACHIEVE POSITIVE OUTCOMES IN THE LONG RUN. SDCDM EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AIM TO HELP CLOSE THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP, PREPARE TODDLERS FOR KINDERGARTEN, REMOVE TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS, AND IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR ALL PARTICIPATING CHILDREN.OVER THE YEARS, SDCDM HAS COLLECTED TESTIMONIALS, FEEDBACK, AND SURVEYS FROM THE COMMUNITY WHICH CITE THAT OUR FUN, SAFE, AND INCLUSIVE MUSEUM HAS BEEN LIKE A SECOND HOME FOR LOCAL FAMILIES. RESPONDENTS FREQUENTLY MENTION THAT THEY ARE VERY IMPRESSED WITH OUR STAFF AND FEEL STRONGLY THAT SDCDM IS HIGHLY ACCESSIBLE, FOCUSED ON COOPERATIVE PLAY, AND CONTRIBUTES TO EARLY SKILLS AND BRAIN DEVELOPMENT. TEACHERS OFTEN EXPRESS THEIR GRATITUDE FOR SDCDM EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND NOTE THAT WITHOUT US, STUDENTS AT THEIR SCHOOLS WOULD NOT RECEIVE ACCESS TO MUCH-NEEDED STEM RESOURCES AND SUPPLEMENTAL EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES.DURING AN ALREADY CHALLENGING TIME WHERE FAMILIES HAVE EVEN FEWER RESOURCES THAN EVER AND ARE AT GREATER RISK OF MARGINALIZATION, SDCDM SEEKS TO BRIDGE THE GAP IN EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT AND ACCESS BY PROVIDING STUDENTS WITH HIGH-QUALITY, HANDS-ON EARLY STEM ENRICHMENT EXPERIENCES.THIS PAST FISCAL YEAR, THE MUSEUM SERVED OVER 80,843 CHILDREN AND FAMILIES ONSITE AND OVER 10,393 CHILDREN THROUGH OUR MOBILE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM. WE PROVIDED ACCESS FOR ALL ADMISSIONS OR MEMBERSHIP TO 15,376 PATRONS, HOSTED 46 ONSITE SPECIAL EVENTS, INCLUDING FUN ANIMAL FRIDAY, BABY STORYTIMES, SUMMER SERENADES, NATURE NIGHT AND KPBS KIDS' EVENTS, AND DISTRIBUTED 10,300 STEM ACTIVITY KITS. 2,109,865 PEOPLE WERE REACHED THROUGH DIGITAL PLATFORMS: 1,460,808 THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, 508,526 THROUGH WEBSITE INTERACTIONS, AND 140,531 THROUGH VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING. EIGHT NEW MOBILE AND ONSITE EXHIBITS WERE ADDED INCLUDING MONEY SENSE, TORTOISE HABITAT AND CATERPILLAR COURSE. ADDITIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THE PAST FISCAL YEAR INCLUDE:-EXPANDED OUR MOBILE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM FLEET TO FOUR VEHICLES.-70 NEW AND EXPANDED COMMUNTY PARTNERS INCLUDING UNITED WAY OF SAN DIEGO, JACOBS & CUSHMAN SAN DIEGO FOOD BANK, RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE AND INTERFAITH COMMUNITY SERVICES, INC.-HOSTED FIRST EVER STEMPOSIUM WITH 100 EDUCATORS AND THOUGHT LEADERS IN EARLY EDUCATION AND STEM FIELDS-SERVED 1,751 STUDENTS THROUGH ONSITE FIELD TRIPS -DOUBLED THE NUMBER OF SENSORY FRIENDLY MORNINGS OFFERED - OVER 2,000 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER SERVICE-GREATLY EXPANDED OUR MOBILE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM PROGRAM THAT BRINGS CURRICULA-LED STEM AND ART WORKSHOPS AND EXHIBITS TO CLASSROOMS AND THE COMMUNITY.-SERVED 5 GRADE LEVELS THROUGH 10 SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND PARTNERS: MAAC, ESCONDIDO UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT, BOYS & GIRLS CLUB, OCEANSIDE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT AND MORE.