The Mid-Hudson Children's Museum (MHCM) is a

children's museum Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs to stimulate informal learning experiences for children. In contrast with traditional museums that typically have a hands-off policy regarding exhibits, children's museums fe ...

in the

Hudson River Valley The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to ...

between the larger

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and Albany markets. In 2022, as a result of a strategic assessment and visioning process, the museum extended the age range of the children it serves. With the addition of a new science exhibition and richer and more relevant

STEM Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushr ...

programming, it aims to elevate a child's ability and appreciation for learning through age 12. As a result, it has been re-branded from the Mid-Hudson Children's Museum to the Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum (MHDM). The Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum is an independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization that is supported by admission and membership sales, program fees, donations, and grants. MHDM is a member of the

American Alliance of Museums American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

(AAM), the

Association of Children's Museums The Association of Children's Museums (ACM) is a Washington, D.C.–based organization that represents more than 300 children's museums in 23 countries throughout the world. The association began in 1962 as the American Association of Youth Museum ...

(ACM), the

Association of Science-Technology Centers The Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) is a non-profit, global organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States, that provides a collective voice, professional support, and programming opportunities for science cen ...

(ASTC), and the Museum Association of New York (MANY). It receives nearly 80,000 visitors a year. Founded in 1989 by a group of individuals in Poughkeepsie, the Mid-Hudson Children's Museum operated in donated spaces in the City of Poughkeepsie and then in the South Hills Mall for many years. In 2002, it moved to its current home at 75 North Water Street. The building is a mid-19th century industrial brick building that formerly housed Innis Dye Works. Major upgrades to the facility were made in 2015 and 2016, and included the creation of a new Science Center and outdoor Children's Garden. The board of directors of MHDM is composed of volunteers.

Partnerships

MHDM works with multiple supporters and partners for various promotions, expansion, and exhibit work.

Dyson Foundation

In 2010, the Dyson Foundation, a Hudson Valley organization that works to improve people's lives through grant funding, promoting

philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

, and strengthening the capacity of

nonprofit organizations A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, took the unusual step of purchasing the Museum building. This action allowed the foundation to cement MHDM's permanent home on the waterfront, while continuing to provide general operating support. Additional recent funding supported installation of an

elevator An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They ar ...

to bring the facility into

ADA compliance The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ...

, and accommodate visitors with

disabilities Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...

and elderly guests accompanying their grandchildren. A Management Assistance Program mini-grant supported professional staff development and strategic planning.

Agency Pass/Corporate Membership Program

The Agency Pass Program and the Corporate Membership Program are opportunities for local businesses and agencies to purchase memberships for

employees Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any ot ...

and wards.

Exhibits

The museum has five main attractions, with multiple exhibits in each. The Early Learning Junction (ELJ) is geared towards children aged 0-4, and focuses on school-readiness. Toddlers improve

motor skills A motor skill is a function that involves specific movements of the body's muscles to perform a certain task. These tasks could include walking, running, or riding a bike. In order to perform this skill, the body's nervous system, muscles, and br ...

, cognitive functions,

literacy Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, hum ...

, and social and emotional development. Imagination Playground is an open-ended exhibit with giant, toddler-size foam blocks for children to build and play with. Rivertown is another staple of the museum. The attraction allows patrons to enter MHDM's very own miniature town featuring a

fire station __NOTOC__ A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equipment, fire ...

kitchen A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation in a dwelling or in a commercial establishment. A modern middle-class residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water ...

construction site Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and ...

, and more. This attraction focuses on cognitive development and immersive play. The Science Center @ MHDM opened in 2016. It is dedicated to boosting

critical thinking skills Critical or Critically may refer to: *Critical, or critical but stable, medical states **Critical, or intensive care medicine *Critical juncture, a discontinuous change studied in the social sciences. *Critical Software, a company specializing in ...

through early STEM education for children ages 0-12. Popular exhibits include the Wonderdome, an exploration of the science of

light Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 te ...

, and Lift-and-Link, a collection of different building materials for children to experiment with. The most recent attraction is Science Revealed!, a part of the 2022 re-branding campaign. With this addition to the museum, MHDM officially expanded its capacity to teach by including exhibits for children up to age 12. It features 16 custom-made, hands-on science exhibits that invite visitors into full-body physical exploration of

motion In physics, motion is the phenomenon in which an object changes its position with respect to time. Motion is mathematically described in terms of displacement, distance, velocity, acceleration, speed and frame of reference to an observer and mea ...

, air, forces,

fluids In physics, a fluid is a liquid, gas, or other material that continuously deforms (''flows'') under an applied shear stress, or external force. They have zero shear modulus, or, in simpler terms, are substances which cannot resist any shear ...

and

magnetism Magnetism is the class of physical attributes that are mediated by a magnetic field, which refers to the capacity to induce attractive and repulsive phenomena in other entities. Electric currents and the magnetic moments of elementary particle ...

Poughkeepsie Waterfront Market

In 2017, MHDM launched the Poughkeepsie Waterfront Market – a public farmers market bringing farm

fresh produce Produce is a generalized term for many farm-produced crops, including fruits and vegetables (grains, oats, etc. are also sometimes considered ''produce''). More specifically, the term ''produce'' often implies that the products are fresh and g ...

to City of Poughkeepsie families, residents and visitors. The Market operates Tuesday afternoons in the Pavilion at MHDM from 2:00 pm – 5:30 pm, seasonally May through October.

Outreach

The Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum offers hands-on programming to help children explore the world around them, practice skills and learn new things. MHDM also offers

field trip A field trip or excursion is a journey by a group of people to a place away from their normal environment. When done for students, as it happens in several school systems, it is also known as school trip in the UK, Australia, New Zealand a ...

opportunities for students in grades

PreK Pre-kindergarten (also called Pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool o ...

- 5 to learn in a real-world environment, experience things first-hand, engage their senses, and bolster their

. Museum field trips are approximately 2.5 hours in length and on held on days when the museum is closed to the public. MHDM offers two types of field trips; ''Explorer'', where classes engage with exhibits at their own pace, and ''Discovery'', where classes additionally work on a STEM-based prompt in correlation with NYS Science and NGSS Standards. MHDM also does

outreach Outreach is the activity of providing services to any population that might not otherwise have access to those services. A key component of outreach is that the group providing it is not stationary, but mobile; in other words, it involves meetin ...

programming for schools, libraries, and other organizations in the nearby area. Visitors to the Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum pay a $13 general admission, with children under one being free. They offer discounts for American

military personnel Military personnel are members of the state's armed forces. Their roles, pay, and obligations differ according to their military branch (army, navy, marines, air force, space force, and coast guard), rank ( officer, non-commissioned officer, ...

with identification, and EBT or SNAP cardholders. MHDM also offers annual memberships for frequent visitors.

References

{{reflist Children's museums in New York (state) Museums in Dutchess County, New York Museums established in 1997 Buildings and structures in Poughkeepsie, New York Tourist attractions in Poughkeepsie, New York Association of Science-Technology Centers member institutions