Dear Friends,

In fiscal year 2024, Boston Children’s Museum continued to be a joyful and welcoming destination for thousands of visitors. Families continued to seek out the Museum’s unique environment, where play and learning converge to create novel experiences and rich interactions. Fiscal year 2024 saw the Museum’s attendance increase 13 percent to 417,625 visitors, reflecting the strong appeal of the Museum’s offerings rooted in hands-on play and discovery. It is inspiring to us that families continue to see the Museum as a place where their children can discover, explore, create, and make memories.

The theme of our report this year is Play: Alive, Well, Essential. It is a theme inspired by the findings of a survey we conducted on play during the year to uncover how children are playing, and to understand parent and adult attitudes towards play. While findings of the survey are detailed in the report, most notable is that 89 percent of those completing the survey said play was not just important for their child’s healthy development, but essential. In addition, the survey results make clear that parents feel play is critical to their child’s learning. But parents are also concerned that they do not have enough time to play with their child, that their child does not have enough opportunities to play with other children, and that technology is taking away from traditional forms of play. We continue to learn from what families have to say, and to invest in connecting children and adults with experiences that strengthen bonds and that offer an alternative to screen-based activities.

Important accomplishments and initiatives taken during the year are also highlighted in the report, including our noteworthy partnership with the City of Boston to provide free access to the Museum for Boston Public School students; our ambitious Waterfront Initiative to ensure the Museum’s long term sustainability; our fourth Explore It Summer Camp; our work to engage and support the Greater Boston community; projects to bring STEAM learning activities to children across the State; our efforts to expand the reach of the Museum through our Big & Little podcast; and a popular Winnie-the-Pooh experience, that enchanted visitors.

We are grateful to our many supporters—individual, corporate, and civic—and to our staff, who make this work possible. In a world where childhood has been sped up, with accelerated expectations for many, and overwhelming obstacles for others, the Museum is fully invested in helping all children thrive.

With gratitude,

Carole Charnow                                                                        David Healy