The Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum helps children become explorers and creators of the world. We mean this broadly: We want to empower children to explore the familiar and the unfamiliar, local neighborhoods and across the globe. And we aim to help not just some children, but every child in the region, regardless of income or ability.

It is essential for us to reach children from low-income households who may not otherwise have access to museums. Studies show that when children visit museums with their families, they do better in school even years later. While we must help low-income families access the essentials of food and shelter, it is equally important that we offer them the resources that lead to long-term academic success, stability and social wellbeing.

It is also important to cultivate spaces where children and families from a wide range of backgrounds can meet, learn from each other, and gain comfort with and empathy for one another. By ensuring that all residents have access to the museum, we are helping to do just that.

Our most important diversity initiative is the Explorer Program. Through this program, low-income families are eligible for $15 museum memberships, allowing free admission for the entire family for a full year. We need you to help spread the word! Let all families—including and especially low-income families—know that they are welcomed in the PlayHouse, and essential to our vision of a diverse, vibrant, caring and collaborative community. PM