About Us: History
2005: A group of dedicated professionals, community leaders, parents and grandparents (all of whom either grew up, lived or worked in the Bronx) were asked by former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión, Jr. to form a board to create a children’s museum in the Bronx. The Museum reached out to the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) for mentoring.
2006: The Bronx children’s Museum received 501 c 3 status and it was recognized by the New York State Education Department as an education corporation licensed to run as a children’s museum.
Read the original Press Release [PDF] >>
2007: In concert with CMOM, the Museum began piloting literacy-based arts programs at East Side House Settlement and a community festival at Hostos Community College. The Bronx Children’s Museum received funding from Con Edison, Verizon and Bronx Kids as part of this collaboration.
2009: In the spring of 2009, Bronx Borough President Carrion jump-started the Museum by earmarking $3 million to be used toward the development of a space to house the Museum. A site owned and operated by the NYC Parks and Recreation in Mill Pond Park in the South Bronx was identified as the museum’s planned headquarters. (Read the article written in the Daily News)
The Museum received a grant from the Bronx Council on the Arts Community Fund to create the Museum’s first independent programming, a series of four workshops delivered in the summer. The interactive, literacy-themed workshops were led by professionals in dance, art and music, with the culminating workshop led by Sonia Manzano, who has played Maria on Sesame Street for almost 40 years.
See photos and videos from the workshops offered at The Point CDC in Hunts Point.
The Museum was selected by the restaurant chain Applebee’s to be the recipient of the proceeds of an event celebrating the grand opening of one of its restaurants in the Bronx.
The Museum Board began a national search for an executive director with the vision, experience and drive to lead the organization through the critical start-up phase and beyond.
2010: Carla Precht was hired as the new Founding Executive Director based on her vast knowledge and experience starting and running successful children’s and family organizations mainly serving low-income neighborhoods and her familiarity with the Bronx. (Read the article written in the Daily News [May 10, 2011])
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz officially re-designated $3 million to be used toward development of a space to house the Bronx Children’s Museum.
In May, the Board of the Bronx Children’s Museum had its first official meeting to discuss the City’s commitment to work with the Museum in its plans to occupy Building J in Mill Pond Park. A Memorandum of Agreement to this effect was signed between both parties.
Thanks to many generous individuals and the Goya Foundation, Montefiore Medical Center, and the Bronx Lebanon Hospital, the Bronx Children’s Museum launched its “Dream Big” initiative in the summer. The Initiative highlighted the life and journey of Justice Sonia Sotomayor with a 5-week arts and literacy program for 120 children from The Point and BronxWorks culminating on August 14, 2010, with a special event at Lehman College where Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor [Link to Justice Sotomayor page] interacted with the children in workshops. The Justice and the children attended a special concert with the children and their families led by composer and musician Arturo O’Farrel
In the fall, the Bronx Children’s Museum hired the foremost exhibit design consultant in the country, Sharon Klotz, as well as the architectural firm BKSK, to create the Museum’s Space and Exhibit Master Plans by spring 2011.
The Museum also began its community engagement process. Using a deeply collaborative approach, the Museum has been working with neighborhood educators and parents, as well as educational and children’s museum experts, to obtain their ideas about future Museum activities/exhibits and the best ways to engage and inform the community on a regular basis.
To this end, the Museum has thus far: organized one community forum (sponsored by the Bronx Borough President and Assemblywoman Vanessa Gibson in November); presented at the Bronx Borough Presidents’ Principal and the Bronx Child Care Director Consortiums' monthly meetings and at the Department of Education Bronx UPK and Headstart provider network; conducted seven parent/caregiver focus groups at BronxWorks, Hostos College and at the Parkchester and Pelham libraries; conducted two focus groups with family day care and other childcare providers and four focus groups with children.
In addition, The Museum reached out and has developed relationships with enthusiastic community and education leaders representing the the Highbridge Library Council, the Highbridge Elementary School Coalition, Highbridge Community Life Center, and Highbridge Community Garden; Whedco; The Point, Rocking the Boat, and the Hunts Point Alliance for Children; the Bronx Cluster of Settlement Houses,the New York Public Library, Highbridge Library; CUNY, Lehman College, Fordham University, Bronx Community College; Bronx Council of the Arts; the Department of Education, Department of Cultural Affairs, the NYCD, Head Start, ACS, DYCD; Bronx Lebanon and Montefiore Medical Center; and members of the Harlem River Group.
The Museum assembled and has engaged two advisory groups of up to 30 early childhood and health experts and leaders. It has also enlisted over 30 additional advisory members in the museum, human service, cultural, environmental, and education fields. [See our Advisory Board]
Since November, three volunteer parent leaders and the Museum’s Executive Director have solicited (using surveys) the feedback of more than 150 Bronx early childhood educators from throughout the Bronx (including the Concourse, Highbridge, Morrisania, Mott Haven etc); 7 groups of more than 100 parents/caregivers, and 3 groups of up to 20 children. [See article in the Daily News.]
The Museum began a science and environmental pilot this past fall 2011 called Dream Big for Your Rivers with children from 3-5 years old from BronxWorks as a collaboration with Bronx River Alliance and Trout in A Classroom: over 100 children and 50 families participated. This pilot was specifically geared to new immigrant families. It taught children and their families about natural resources in the Bronx and the importance of taking care of one’s environment.
2011: In the fall 2010 and winter 2011, the Museum received four critical grants from the Bronx Council of the Arts, the Gottesman Fund, the Sandra and Frederick Rose Foundations, and the H.W. Wilson Foundation. In the spring of 2011, the Museum was notified that is will receive a two year capacity building grant from the Booth Ferris Fundation.
The Museum received a generous donation of a beautiful bus from Kerry Malawista and Alan Heilbron from Maryland that will be used as the Bronx Children’s Museum On the Go bus to transport and operate traveling exhibits. [Read articles about the bus.]
The Bronx Children’s Museum completed and submitted its Master Space Plan to NYC Parks and Recreation.
In the spring, The Museum became a pro-bono client of Momentum Worldwide, a cutting-edge marketing firm, to develop its brand.
The Bronx Children's Museum continues to develop and grow. Read about our future plans.
