Your donation to Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry (CML) is a commitment to better education in South Carolina. Research indicates that access to play-to-learn experiences is vital to school readiness and early academic success. CML gives unique opportunities to engage in play that foster cognitive, social, emotional, and fine and gross motor development in a safe environment, both in the Museum and through outreach. Learn more about our mission and community engagement below.
Admission prices to CML provide only 53% of our annual operating expenses. We count on the generosity of our community and kind donors to help us provide extraordinary programming opportunities for children of ALL backgrounds throughout our Lowcountry community.
Your donation will fund initiatives like…
Brown Bags for STEM and Social Emotional Learning
Throughout the pandemic, CML provided thousands of brown bags with STEM activities to students so that our dynamic educational programs could be done safely.
We will continue the brown bag STEM initiative and, with funding, build on it by adding social emotional activity kits that help students. Learn more here!
Pop Up Tinker Shop
The Pop Up Tinker Shop gives us wheels that allow us to bring innovative and immersive learning through play to schools, community centers, churches, parks, and more across the Tri-county area. This enables us to share our hands-on learning activities, materials, and programs outside of the museum’s building. Learn more here!
Head Start and First Steps
CML is proud to partner with CCSD Head Start and Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester First Steps. We provide STEAM training to educators and students. Our impact has supported play-based, hands on learning activities that align with curriculum, support teachers, and encourage our youngest scholars to explore the topics they are learning in new, empowering ways.
Title 1 School Field Trips
Under-resourced Title 1 elementary schools receive a 50% discount on field trips to Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry.
Warm Welcome Memberships
The annual $14 membership fee provides a 90% savings off the cost of a $145 family membership for families with EBT, SNAP, or WIC. Learn more here!
Museums for All
Visitors with EBT, SNAP, or WIC can receive one day’s admission for up to 6 people for $2.
CML Camp Scholarships
CML’s solution to the lack of free or reduced cost camp activities in the community is to provide camp scholarships to qualifying families, offering children a safe, creative environment where they can explore, learn and play.
Free Family Fridays
Free Family Fridays offers FREE admission for everyone seven times a year and provides a pass to come back to CML, as well as a children’s book for each child. We welcome community partners to also attend so that families receive vital free services.
(This program has been paused during COVID due to limited capacity, but we hope to bring it back in Fall 2022 with the help of funders like you!)
SuperStars!
The Children’s Museum is open from 10:00am – 12:00pm on the second and fourth Sundays of every month for children with special needs and their families to visit the Museum for FREE. Children are able to explore and play in the Museum without the crowds and over-stimulation.
Learn more, including how to register, here.
The following accomplishments are made possible through the generosity of people like you! You can help us reach even more children by making a donation today. Your donation directly impacts how many children access education through the power of play.
Donate today! Please consider selecting a monthly or annual donation at checkout.
Alternate ways to give include by phone, monthly bankdraft, in-kind donations, stocks & securities, donor advised funds, and planned gifts. For more information, contact our Director of Development, Katy Calloway at 843.853.8962 x 238 or katy@exploreCML.org.
All gifts are welcome and no amount is too small. All gifts are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.