Cultural institutions in the US are facing unprecedented challenges. On average, attendance at museums across North America is down considerably year over year. Funding at the federal level and in many states has declined or has been cut entirely.

Despite these challenges, Boston Children’s Museum stands out for having bucked those trends, thanks in large part to 16 years of leadership by Carole Charnow and our Board. The Museum is better positioned than ever before to not only retain our independence, but to continue to serve as a leader among cultural institutions in Massachusetts, and in our Fort Point neighborhood as it continues the radical transformation it has seen over the last decade.

With Carole (now President Emerita) handing over the reins to Melissa Higgins, we welcome a new leader with a vision rooted in the Museum’s history, inspired by the last 16 years of innovation, and optimistic about the institution’s place in the Boston-area community.

Visitors to the Museum can already see this vision at work in our newest exhibit, Dream it! Build it!, an exploration of architecture, design, and construction that invites children to explore the relationship between creativity and imagination, the built environment, and the people and animals that inhabit it. This new exhibit was crafted with accessibility and inclusion in mind, and offers children and caregivers of all genders, backgrounds, and interests inspiring and fun ways to experiment with and learn about tools and trades, and the diverse people involved with them.

We’ve also updated our beloved Countdown to Kindergarten exhibit, developed in partnership with Boston Public Schools, to reflect the experience today’s children have as they enter school for the first time. Infant nooks have been added to exhibits throughout the Museum to ensure that children of every age have a developmentally appropriate way to experience them.

We’re looking ahead and building for success in other ways as well. We recently began work on an ambitious, multi-year project to make the Museum more resilient in the face of our changing climate. As sea levels rise, and major storms become more frequent, our Fort Point Channel neighborhood is especially vulnerable. As we make the Museum building more resistant to flooding, we hope to become an example and inspiration to our neighbors as they also plan for the future.

We are reaching farther out into the Massachusetts community than ever before, ensuring everything the Museum has to offer is accessible to children and families who might face barriers to visiting—whether that’s affordability, transportation, special needs, or some other circumstance. Through programs launched in partnership with our corporate and foundation partners, local school districts, or other non-profits, children and caregivers who might never have been able to visit the Museum have been able to join us for the very first time.

For our community members throughout the world, our Big & Little podcast continues with its second season. Our Empathy Series explores how different people define and express empathy, through discussions with healthcare workers, researchers, educators, authors, and others who study and teach the subject.

Carole leaves behind an institution that has never been more well-positioned to succeed, in the hands of new leadership and an experienced team that is looking to a future filled with fun, experimentation, and new possibilities. We hope you’re as excited for the future as we are!