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Who We Serve

KID Museum serves 55,000 people annually from across the Washington, DC metro region.

KID Museum is a learning center and cultural gathering place for the entire community, bringing together children, families, educators and more. We reach across the socio-economic spectrum to inspire and empower the next generation of innovators.

Through partnerships with MCPS, Excel Beyond the Bell, and other community organizations, we serve students with transformative, year-long programs and initiatives, bringing school groups into the museum Monday – Friday. We serve the broader community through weekend programming, after-school programs, camps, and special events, with a focus on the family experience.

We also offer programs for educators that help integrate maker education into their classrooms, as well as continuing STEM learning and development opportunities for high schoolers. Learn more below.

School Groups

KID Museum field trips feature maker activities geared towards elementary and middle school students. Our hands-on STEM activities encourage creativity and critical thinking, and give students the opportunity to work collaboratively, take risks, and solve problems together—outside of the traditional classroom setting.

KID Museum’s Invention Studio program offers middle school students an immersive experience as they participate in six skill-building sessions at the museum, while collaborating with their peers to create an invention of their own design. As of the 2017-18 school year, the program serves eight school groups from across the county, primarily from high-needs schools.

The Invent the Future Challenge is our newest initiative with MCPS, broadening access to innovative, high-impact learning experiences for middle school students across the region. Participating schools are invited to attend Invention Basecamp at KID Museum, a series of workshops that integrate technical skills like engineering, electronics, and coding, with social-emotional skills like collaboration and perseverance. More than 500 middle schoolers are participating in the Challenge in the 2017-18 school year, and participation is expected to expand significantly next year, including a pilot program for elementary school students.

Additionally, through a partnership with Excel Beyond the Bell, KID Museum provides accessible after-school programs at participating MCPS schools. These programs support our shared goal of increasing positive outcomes for all kids across the county.

Kids & Families

KID Museum is open to the general public on weekends, offering a variety of hands-on activities and workshops geared towards kids ages 4-14 and their families. Other regular programming includes: After-School, Camps, Mini-Makers (designed specifically for pre-schoolers), and Homeschool Days.

KID Museum hosts special family events both on-site and off-site, including our largest annual event in downtown Silver Spring—KIDfest, which draws 15,000+ attendees from across the region. Other events include: World of Montgomery Festival, Cultural Days, Spark Behind the Science Day, Rockville Day, Community Conversations, and more.

KID Museum also serves the wider community and underserved populations through its long-standing partnership with MCPL (Montgomery County Public Libraries), providing free programs like Coding Jams, Coding Camps, and family STEM workshops at local branches. These impactful opportunities are made possible through local funding initiatives.

Educators

KID Museum’s Professional Development courses for educators combine technical skill-building with project-based learning, providing educators with the skills, resources, and inspiration needed to successfully integrate maker education into everyday classrooms.

KID Museum is also a regional Hub for Making Spaces, an initiative by Google, Maker Ed, and the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. As a Hub, we work with local educators to craft a vision for maker education at their schools, and then support them as they launch community crowdfunding campaigns to fund maker-based activities and centers for their classrooms.

High Schoolers

Through KID Museum’s Apprentice and Coding Corps programs, high schoolers have the opportunity to further develop their STEM skills and career pursuits. Participants get trained in STEM programs and inquiry-based learning, help facilitate activities for kids of all ages, gain valuable work experience, and earn SSL hours for their work.