YEAR IN REVIEW
The mission of MCM is to create unparalleled experiences to inspire excellence and a lifelong joy of learning.
We accomplish this mission through hands-on, engaging exhibits and programs focusing on literacy, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math), and health and nutrition-the keys to helping our children mature into healthy and productive adult learners.
In 2022, MCM CELEBRATED A TRIUMPHANT YEAR
Impact
$2,758,295
Donations & Grants
$2,232,618
Operating Revenue
$347,523
Memberships
$560,265
Educational Sponsors
$276,332
Other Income
Total Revenue & Support
$6,175,033
$34,203,594
NET ASSET TOTAL
Financial figures are for Jackson and Meridian combined based on the fiscal year June 1, 2021-May 31, 2022.
MCM Jackson and Meridian
$456,671
MANAGEMENT & GENERAL
$274,772
FUNDRAISING
$5,787,528
Program Services
Total EXPENSES
$6,518,971
Financial figures are for Jackson and Meridian combined based on the fiscal year June 1, 2021-May 31, 2022.
Visitors
Jackson
General Admission
149,058
Memberships
2,148
Education Program
Participants
16,742
Birthday Parties
339
Birthday Party Guests
8,234
Facility Rentals
56
Field Trip Participants
17,184
Day Camp Participants
1,089
After School Attendees
18,000
Total Visitors
210,307
Meridian
General Admission
58,809
Memberships
992
Education Program
Participants
8,975
Birthday Parties
237
Birthday Party Guests
6,695
Facility Rentals
8
Field Trip Participants
7,478
Day Camp Participants
213
Total Visitors
82,170
Volunteers
Jackson
Volunteers
488
Volunteer Hours
4046
Monetary Value Saves
$82,690.76
Meridian
Volunteers
100
Volunteer Hours
455
Monetary Value Saves
$9,479.43
MCM Partners revenue is reflected from events held between January 1-December 31, 2022.
Jackson
$204,455.81
Ignite the Night
$94,196.33
Neon Night
$73,266.39
A VERY MERRY NIGHT
$18,683.10
Jackson dues and donations
$34,529.56
Mingle at the Museum
Meridian
$69,606.29
Midnight at the Museum
$41,698.93
Meridian dues and donations
Total Revenue
$536,436.41
AWARDS &
RECOGNITION
SPOTTER’S TRAIL & PLAYGROUND
The LeFleur’s Bluff Education and Tourism Complex (LBC) continued to grow in 2022 with the addition of Spotter’s Adventure Trail, a walking trail that connects MCM-Jackson and MDWFP’s Museum of Natural Science, and an outdoor pavilion called The Den.
In 2022, the LeFleur’s Bluff Playground welcomed over 120,000 visitors!
The Mississippi Children’s Museum hosts multiple annual events which allow guests to celebrate holidays, as well as the museum’s initiatives Literacy, STEAM, Health, Mississippi Heritage, and Cultural Arts. Educational programming is themed for each event so that children are learning while having fun!
MCM’s most beloved Events include:
MCM Partners support MCM’s mission through sponsorships, fundraisers, and volunteer hours. Each visitor experience costs $23 dollars, but the museum’s admission is only $10. MCM Partners fundraising events allow MCM to bridge the gap in operational costs so that we can have a first-class museum and amazing exhibits for all the children in our state.
Discover Mississippi’s rich history, vibrant culture, and exciting future at our four unique and amazing museums located at I-55 and Lakeland Drive in Jackson, MS!
Collaborative Events
Mississippi Science Fest, Week of Wonder, Park After Dark
A Bridge to Connect Us
Plans to develop a new Bike & Pedestrian Bridge over Lakeland Drive are underway! The bridge will connect the multi-use trail networks to the south and north of Lakeland Drive, as well as the four museums in the LeFleur Museum District.
The existing trail route includes:
- Mississippi’s Civil Rights Museum
- Museum of Mississippi History
- MDWFP’s Museum of Natural Science
- Mississippi Children’s Museum
- The Mississippi Farmers Market
The new bridge will allow access to:
- Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum
- Smith-Wills Stadium
- Jamie Fowler Boyll Park
- Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum
- The Eastover Trail
The connection to the Eastover Trail will provide future opportunities to connect to the Fondren Area, Natchez Trace Parkway trails, and the Ross Barnett Reservoir’s multiple public parks. The new bridge will help ensure the safety of adults and children seeking to cross one of the area’s most heavily trafficked corridors, as well as fuel further investment in the area. Abutments on each side of the structure will allow for ADA accessibility and for safe access to both bicycle and pedestrian traffic. The bridge’s decorative design will make an aesthetically pleasing landmark to welcome visitors to the LeFleur Museum District and the state’s capital city. This investment will provide numerous recreational and educational opportunities to attract visitors to our state and city, as well as increasing the well-being of our local community.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
MCM’s Launch into Learning program began in 2020 due to the community’s need for a safe environment for virtual learning during the pandemic. The museum continues these services today with a robust daily afterschool program serving 200 students each year in the Jackson Public School District. MCM believes this level of consistent, one-on-one, remedial instruction and relationship-building will have long-term positive impacts on the trajectory of each student’s academic career and well-being.
Lights on Afterschool
A Lights on Afterschool event was held at the museum on October 18, 2022 to celebrate and show support for afterschool programs across the state and nation. The event was free and upon to the public with dinner provided. Attendees were able to learn more about MCM’s afterschool program, Launch into Learning, and the importance of afterschool for our community.
Monique Ealey, Director of Education and Programs, was selected to serve as one of 17 leaders in the country as an Afterschool Ambassador for the Afterschool Alliance in 2022.
Rocky’s House
Rocky’s House is MCM’s newest traveling exhibit that travels statewide promoting Talk from the Start’s mission to raise awareness that talking to and with children from birth is essential to learning to read. In 2022, Rocky’s House toured several communities and schools throughout the state including, Van Winkle Elementary, Spann Elementary, Wesley House Preschool, Nichols Elementary, and Delta State University’s Hamilton-White Child Development Center.
Rocky’s House was also present at MPB’s Summer Learning Family Fun Day, Mississippi Book Festival, NMEC’s Plan, Practice and Play mini-conference, and the Mississippi Thrive Early Childhood Health & Development Summit. Thanks to a grant from W.K. Kellogg Foundation, MCM will continue fulfilling this mission by training early childhood educators and touring Rocky’s House statewide.
MCM will launch a new project in 2023 called Computer Science (CS) Wonder that will provide a cohort of 20 educators from around the state with resources, skills, and support as they prepare to meet the requirements for the Mississippi Computer Science and Cyber Education and Equality Act, which states all public schools in Mississippi offer computer science education by the 2024-2025 school year.
This project is made possible thanks to a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Each summer, MCM hosts a traveling exhibit in the Gertrude C. Ford Exhibition Hall. Traveling exhibits give Mississippi’s children access to educational opportunities that expose them to new ideas, different cultures, and unique challenges.
Each exhibit has an educational focus ranging from literacy to STEAM to health that encourages children and their caregivers to engage with these learning opportunities which help develop new skills and learn important life lessons.
In addition to expanding the horizons of children, these traveling exhibits also provide professional development for MCM’s staff. MCM’s team works with the other museum’s design team to create a floor plan for hosting the exhibit. We learn best practices from industry experts, which increases the museum’s knowledge for designing and fabricating our own exhibits. The MCM Education team is challenged to provide innovative programming that aligns with the learning standards for each exhibit. This collaborative effort offers MCM to provide a customized experience for our guests that they won’t receive anywhere else.
Thank you to our sponsors, Atmos and Trustmark, for their continued support allowing us to offer unique and exceptional traveling exhibit experiences.
The annual holiday exhibit, Journey to the North Pole, transforms MCM’s Gertrude C. Ford Exhibition Hall into a magical winter wonderland of snowy skies, glittering holiday decorations, and invitations for memorable family holiday experiences. MCM’s exhibits and design teams drew inspiration from lessons in navigation and geography along with traditional holiday literature to create a one-of-a-kind holiday experience which features a 45-foot Snowflake Slide, a Reindeer Rink for sock skating, and a winter village with train cars, a clock tower, and a child-sized post office.
MCM-Meridian expanded its holiday experience with a new Snowflake Village exhibit featuring a sock skating rink, faux snowballs, an area to build a felt snowman, and snowy mountain ski lift scenery. This immersive Winter WONDER-land experience helps to fulfill our vision of inspiring Mississippi’s children of all backgrounds by providing them with a glimpse into what other areas of our country are like in Wintertime.
DONORS
LEADERSHIP
SUSAN GARRARD
President/CEO
SARAH SKELTON
Chief Financial Officer
Emily
HOFF
Executive Director of Mississippi Children’s Museum – Jackson
BARBRA ZELLER
Executive Director of
Mississippi Children’s Museum – Meridian
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MCM – JACKSON
Beth Hansen, Chairman, Alicen Blanchard, Donna Bruce, Michael Cormack, Terry Dale Cruse, Margaret Cupples, Lisa Didion, John Fletcher, Jeffrey Graves Jr., Jet Hollingsworth, Wilson Hood, Olivia Host, Maggi Lampton, Carla Lewis, Ashley Meena, Melanie Morgan, Chip Pickering, Lori Quarles, Kaitlyn Vassar,
Adams Yerger, IV, Camille Young
Board Emeritus:
Martin Jue & Judge James Graves
MCM – MERIDIAN
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Dr. Terry Dale Cruse, Chairman, Hallie Pearson Swindoll, Secretary, John Anderson, Beth Clay, Dr. Amy Carter, Judge Veldore Young Graham, Judge Kenneth Dustin Markham, Otis Gowdy, M.D., David Hall, Kelvin Jackson, Dr. Asif Lala, DMD, Dustin Markham, Jim McGinnis, III, Melanie Mitchell, Chris Phillips, Wade Sims, Don Rogers
Ex-officio Members:
Dede Mogollan, Commander Brent Moore,
and Colonel Cindy Smith
We couldn’t have done it without you!
The mission of MCM is to create unparalleled experiences to inspire excellence and a lifelong joy of learning.
We accomplish this mission through hands-on, engaging exhibits and programs focusing on literacy, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math), and health and nutrition–the keys to helping our children mature into healthy and productive adult learners.