Detroit Children’s Museum reopens to DPS students

District explores options to reopen museum to the general public

DETROIT - Detroit Public Schools today announced that operations have resumed at the Detroit Children’s Museum, allowing DPS students to continue to experience and learn from the rich curriculum provided at the country’s third oldest children’s museum.

DPS, which owns the museum, has severed its 10-year services agreement with the Detroit Science Center to manage the museum. At the present time, federal funding restrictions preclude DPS from extending the museum’s services to non-DPS students or opening the museum to the general public. However, the district administration is exploring new partnerships and ways to raise funding that will allow the museum again to benefit all children.

The Children’s Museum, located at 6134 Second Avenue, Detroit, features a collection of more than 100,000 artifacts ranging from dinosaur bones to dioramas, masks, costumes and dolls from around the world, an extensive collection of rocks, fossils and crystals, and more. The museum also includes a “touch the stars” planetarium; Live, Learn, Play Center; Science All Around gallery; Travel through History gallery; Up North exhibit gallery and other hands-on art and activity stations.

From June 2010 to September 2011, the Children’s Museum served 26,000 students, including 11,203 DPS students, through field trips; offered professional development to 150 teachers; and provided teachers 600 lending kits. For information, please call (313) 873-8100.