Dear Friend,
As the new artwork by Brianna Ashe announces outside of the Museum, “WE’RE BACK—COME PLAY!!”
Like New York State, the Children’s Museum instituted a very deliberate reopening plan. In mid-July – after Long Island entered “Phase 4” – we began welcoming children back to the Museum to participate in our morning drop-off programs. On August 3, we welcomed back the general public on select weekday afternoons. Starting September 12, we’ll be offering morning and afternoon visiting hours, six days per week.
To safeguard the health of our visitors, CMEE staff implemented numerous safety protocols, including:
- Removing all interactive components from the exhibitions – Instead, each family receives a little red wagon with their own dedicated set of toys, props, books and other exhibit items. For some families, pulling around the wagon is the best part of the visit!
- Significantly limiting the number of visitors at one time – We’re admitting only 18% of our normal attendance capacity. Plus, we’re allowing only one family to be an exhibit area at one time.
- Timed entries and contactless ticketing & chec- in
- Health checks upon entering
- Mandating the use of masks for anyone over 2 years of age
- Adding custodial staff to guarantee constant cleaning
- Closing the Legacy Tree Gallery, which houses our indoor gym
- Increasing the number of outdoor activities at the Museum – From Corn Hole and Connect Four to Spike Ball and Mini Golf, there’s a bunch of new activities for families to do outside.
These protocols are detailed in the FAQs for visitors on the Museum’s website.
I’m really proud of the time, thought and effort CMEE’s staff have invested in creating a “New Normal” at the Museum. Although we won’t be able to have our annual Big Truck Day this month, we are offering small group programs like Let’s Dance and Found Fashion. And, for the first time ever, our popular Kids Club early childhood program will continue throughout the fall.
I’m sure you’ll agree, the last six months have presented huge challenges. Since we closed our doors on March 13 to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the Museum has experienced an enormous financial burden due to lost admission and membership revenue as well as the cancellation of all our fundraising events. Despite this hardship, the Museum has remained committed to providing educational, emotional and nutritional support to families affected by the pandemic. Since late March, for example, we have operated a food pantry that now serves over 70 local families every week.
To help support the food pantry through the fall, we have organized a Family Walk-a-Thon for the COVID era. Instead of walking on one day in a big group, families are encouraged to walk with their pod on any day that’s convenient this month. I invite you to join us and #Walk4CMEE!
Since there’s no guidebook for what a Children’s Museum should do during a pandemic, we’re trying out how best to respond to the needs of children and families in our community. If you have any advice or feedback for CMEE, please don’t hesitate to email me.
Sincerely,
Steve