Imagine Children's Museum of Everett, Washington

The mission of Imagine Children’s Museum is to utilize playful learning to enrich children’s lives.

Located in Everett, Washington, Imagine Children’s Museum (Imagine) is filled with three stories of immersive exhibit areas where children ages 1-12 and their families and caregivers can play together in a safe, fun, enriching learning environment. Yet, Imagine is more than a place. It is ‘on the move,’ offering programs, classes and outreach services that deliver purposeful play to children, schools and families in Snohomish County.

In 2016, Imagine Children’s Museum and its outreach programs served nearly 242,000 people from throughout the state and the nation, and the Museum is recognized as one of the top tourist destinations in Snohomish County. Each year nearly 30,000 people visit for free, or through reduced admission, reflecting a commitment to ensuring that services are accessible to everyone regardless of family structure, ethnicity, gender, education or socioeconomic status.

Imagine’s Programs and Services

Imagine believes in C.H.I.L.D.R.E.N.: Celebrating creativity and imagination; Helping young learners thrive; Instilling a community connection; Learning experiences powered by play; Developing unique exhibits and programs; Reaching out to all children; Embracing diversity and inclusion; and Nurturing child/caring adult interaction. Each exhibit and program is designed to promote a child’s social/emotional skills and physical abilities through hands-on exploration, discovery and imaginative play; promote family engagement; and foster educational enrichment in science, technology, reading, engineering, art and math (S.T.R.E.A.M.). Children who interact in these activities enhance their critical thinking skills, strengthen their independence and build self-confidence to serve them throughout their lives.

As the word implies, “Imagine” is a vision, a sense of possibility and a source of hope. Imagine’s team works to help strengthen and nurture all children by fostering a stable and creative environment in which families can focus on having fun while learning together and regaining their connection to each other and their community. Further, Imagine offers programs that celebrate and advance cultural awareness, diversity and acceptance.

Imagine partners with school districts, childcare centers, social service providers and other nonprofits to build a strong network of support for children and families. Through these partnerships Imagine works to address a scope of emerging community needs including: serving low-income, at-risk children suffering from the challenges of parents juggling multiple jobs, or job loss, and supporting families who are dealing with illness, death, addiction, homelessness and intergenerational poverty. These programs serve nearly 30,000 attendees annually:

•  Free Admission Nights are offered on the third Friday of each month. This program serves approximately 10,000 children and caregivers annually;
• Free Military Family Nights;
• Free/reduced cost elementary school field trips for under-resourced schools;
• Summer literacy program for children who are behind their peers in reading skills;
• Afterschool science clubs provide educational enrichment and emotional support and guidance.