Special Initiatives

This initiative opens our doors to hundreds of children and families each year. Lack of financial resources is the biggest barrier that prevents many families from becoming members and fully benefiting from our services. Trusted community partners assist the Museum & Theatre in disseminating information about this program and once families receive memberships, partners help families utilize their memberships by helping with transportation needs, breaking down language barriers, and more. These partners include: Opportunity Alliance’s Maine Families, Welcoming the Stranger, and Portland Public Health Nurses. Scholarship funds are raised annually and are donated by individuals, families and foundations. This program has been central to our access, inclusion, and diversity goals for over fifteen years.

The Museum & Theatre is proud to participate in this national program. Through Museums for All, those receiving food assistance (SNAP benefits) received reduced admission, $1 per person over 18 months, simply by presenting their EBT card. Additionally, the Museum & Theatre has expanded access to this program by welcoming anyone with Women, Infants, and Children benefits (WIC) to participate. We partner with the Institute for Museums and Library Services (IMLS) and the Association of Children’s Museum (ACM) on this initiative.

In 2008, the Museum & Theatre launched Play Your Way, special playtime hours for families affected by autism. Over the past decade, we’ve adapted the program to fit the needs of families. Today, the program consists of monthly times earmarked for anyone who would benefit from a quieter play time. Free admission for each Play Your Way event breaks down financial barriers to participation and creates a low-risk opportunity to try out the Museum & Theatre. Often families attend Play Your Way events to connect with families with similar identities. Additionally, after visiting during a Play Your Way event, families then feel comfortable visiting during normal operating hours, sign up for summer camps or workshops, and further integrate into the Museum & Theatre community. Play Your Way is currently sponsored by WEX and staff have adapted Play Your Way through consultation with Maine Behavioral Health, Spurwink, Woodford’s Community Services, and Maine Autism Society.

The Museum & Theatre provides free admission to families going through the reunification process and/or supervised visitation between children and their parents. Facilitated visitation provides opportunities for continued connection after parenting rights have been altered or lost.  Play in the Museum & Theatre facilitates family bonding and learning experiences, which are especially beneficial for families with limited visitation. Families undergoing supervised visitation are under significant amounts of stress. The Museum & Theatre intentionally creates a welcoming, inclusive, and playful environment to cultivate joyful child-caregiver experiences. Facilitated visitations at the Museum & Theatre occur thanks to a partnership with Home Counselors, Inc.

Special Occasion Initiatives

The Museum & Theatre hosts bi-yearly citizenship ceremonies in Partnership with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Children who are adopted by U.S. citizen parents and children who are gaining citizenship when their immigrant parents become naturalized citizens take their oath at the Museum & Theatre. Participating families play in the museum exhibits while they wait to take their oath and have the opportunity to come back and play by requesting a complimentary family membership. 

For many years, the Museum & Theatre has hosted families as they legally finalize the adoption of their children. With a probate judge onsite at the Museum & Theatre, families are able to celebrate this milestone with a ceremony followed by a private playtime. This initiative is made possible in partnership with the Cumberland County Probate Court and social workers around the state. 

The Museum & Theatre is honored to partner with Indigo Arts Alliance to celebrate authors and illustrators who celebrate Black children’s books and their creators. This year’s Beautiful Blackbird Children's Book Festival builds on the tremendous success of the previous two festivals, which despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, successfully transitioned from a live festival to a virtual event throughout the summer of 2020 and a hybrid event in 2021. To this date, the festival has reached more than 200,000 audience members spanning over 44 countries. This year’s festival will host several in-person events, including a full day of events and engagement at the Museum & Theatre. See a complete list of activities HERE. Following Indigo Arts’ lead, the Museum & Theatre is promoting this important work on our social media platforms to share this important work with our audience.

Awards and Recognition

• 2022 Portland, Maine “Best of Awards” - Best Place for Kids

• Yankee Magazine’s 2022 Best of New England - Maine

• MaineBiz 2022 Nonprofit Business Leader of the Year: Julie Butcher Pezzino

• $150,000 National Endowment for the Arts American Rescue Plan Grant

• Saco & Biddeford Savings Heartbeat of the Community Award 2021

• Down East Magazine Editors’ 2021 Pick for Best of Travel & Play: Family