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Mission

Mission & Vision

Community support from people like you makes it possible to create innovative new educational experiences for our community’s children. We invite you to take part in our mission to inspire creativity, curiosity and lifelong learning.

Mission

Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose inspires creativity, curiosity, and lifelong learning.

Vision

Today’s children become tomorrow’s visionaries.

Aspiration

At Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose,

  • Children find joy in play and discovery
  • Parents, teachers and caregivers find support for their vital roles
  • Youth find avenues for self-expression and achievement
  • The community finds reflections of itself and
  • The world finds a champion for nurturing a sense of wonder.

Strategic Commitments

  • Creativity Through the Arts
  • Science Learning
  • Environmental Stewardship
  • Early Childhood Development
  • Inclusion & Cultural Competence
  • Childhood Obesity Prevention
  • Community Service Learning
  • In-House Exhibit Development
  • Learning Research
  • Partnerships & Resource Development

Values

Children
We respect children and the adults who support them, striving to understand and respond to their individual developmental needs, learning styles and cultures.

Play
We believe play is essential to healthy development and lifelong learning.

Integrity
We create experiences rooted in authenticity, a spirit of discovery, and a commitment to excellence.

Intersections
We value multidisciplinary exploration, unexpected insights and new connections.

Community
We celebrate people, cultures and discoveries, building global awareness and understanding.

Learning
We believe that interactive engagement with ideas, materials, the environment, and technology promotes creativity, critical thinking, problem solving and growth.

What is Children's Discovery Museum?

Kids lead the way at Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose, exploring and discovering through open-ended, play-based learning. Over 150 hands-on exhibits and activities in science, humanities, arts, nature, and health spark curiosity and ignite family fun as children build life skills in creative and critical thinking, problem-solving, and confidence. The nonprofit celebrates people and diverse cultures, creates authentic connections, and builds global understanding. Welcoming more than 10 million visitors since 1990, the award-winning museum inspires creativity, curiosity, and lifelong learning inside the stunning 52,000 square foot purple building designed by the late world renowned Mexico City architect Ricardo Legoretta, and outside in the half-acre nature space.

Welcome Statement

Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose strives to be a community anchor that helps to build awareness and understanding among people of diverse ages, backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, socioeconomic situations, religions, abilities and family configurations. We believe that our community wants the best for its children, and it is our goal to create opportunities for today’s children to become tomorrow’s visionaries.

In our role as a community anchor, we embrace the following ideals:

  • Everyone feels welcome, included and well-represented at our Museum.
  • We are a positive reflection of our community.
  • Culture is more than ethnicity; it is a set of values, beliefs, traditions and experiences. Each person’s cultural heritage is different, and we can all find and embrace the similarities and differences between cultures.
  • We value the experiences that our visitors, staff and volunteers bring to the table, and incorporate their insights in our programs, exhibits and operations.
  • It is our responsibility to offer unique opportunities for lifelong learning that build global awareness, allowing people to explore and understand their cultural differences and similarities.
  • Cultures themselves evolve and grow and we endeavor to do the same.