It is an essential part of our mission to never turn away an individual or group for any reason.

Fun for Everyone

The Discovery Museums' Open Door Connections (ODC) supports innovative hands-on learning and meaningful play experiences for all.  We strive to provide opportunities for those who face a variety of barriers---financial, developmental, or cultural---to experience the Museums.

Growing Opportunities

Through Open Door Connections, we hope to broaden the depth and reach of museum offerings by working directly with partner organizations so we can better identify families and schools with need and engage them in all TDM offers. The Discovery Museums are working with organizations such as SMOC Head Start Hudson, SMOC Head Start Marlborough, Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE), Parent Child Home Program, and Minute Man Arc Social Services, Inc., of Concord---so all members of the community can feel a part of the Museums.

                              

ODC events include the Especially for Me program series, which offers free evenings for families with children on the autism spectrum in conjunction with the Autism Alliance of MetroWest, and free mornings for families with deaf or hard of hearing infants and toddlers, offered in conjunction with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing program of the Children's Hospital Boston at Waltham. ODC is also affiliated with Acre Family Child Care in Lowell, MA, offering free educational activities for the family child care children, professional development workshops for the family child care providers, and an annual family night at The Discovery Museums.
         

We also work closely with schools to ensure that financial constraints are not a barrier for learning hands-on math and science. Every year we provide free and discounted programs to schools in need. We welcome classes to the Museums for field trips and we go into classrooms with our Traveling Science Workshops. In 2010, 2,902 children and teachers from 21 cities and towns benefited from our free or discounted programs.

How are we doing?

In 2011 we would like to serve 5,000 more people for free or at deeply reduced cost than we did In 2010--for a total of 30,000 children, parents, caregivers, students and educators who might otherwise not have access to our museums, school programs, and trainings. 

So far this year we've supported 27,332 individuals at the Museums or in their own classrooms! We are continuing to work at this--check back monthly to track our progress!

You can help us bring more kids to the Museums---and sometimes the Museums to the kids.  Your generous support makes a difference.

Seeking Partners

If you are an organization and would like to work with The Discovery Museums, please call Sarah Brockway at 978.264.4200 ext. 11or email sbrockway@discoverymuseums.org, or Lucas Skorczeski at 978.264.4200 ext. 37, email lskorczeski@discoverymuseums.org.  We would love to hear from you.

A big Thank You!

Open Door Connections is generously funded by Cambridge Savings Bank, Foundation for MetroWest, Highland Street Foundation, Millipore Foundation, Nypro Foundation, Polaroid Foundation, Schafer Family Foundation, Nathaniel and Elizabeth P. Stevens Foundation, and the Yawkey Foundations.