“All we can do is control what we can control and not spend all of our current time worrying about things we can’t control,” said DuPage Children’s Museum President and CEO Andrea Wiles.
The museum is normally full of curious kids throughout the summer, but due to the high-touch activities associated with the DCM, it’s remained closed since March 13.
Still Working Towards Their Mission
But that hasn’t stopped them from continuing their mission.
“We’re developing an entire line of virtual STEAM learning labs,” said Wiles. “All of which are aligned with the next generation of science standards. And we’re building them to be flexible because if there’s one thing that all of us are going to have to continue to be it’s flexible.”
That flexibility was on display last weekend when their annual touch-a-truck event was adapted into a “Transportation Zoo.”
Revenue Loss
Events like that allow the museum to stay involved and bring in some revenue. According to Wiles, about 60% of the DCM’s revenue comes from general admission, memberships, and other in-person activities.
“So that’s a really significant hit to our bottom line,” she said. “So we’re doing the best we can to really button up the expenses while being strategic in leveraging the talent we have to impact families where they are.”
It’s still unclear when the DuPage Children’s Museum will be able to reopen, but in the meantime, Wiles said they’ll continue pursuing their mission of promoting early childhood learning.
Naperville News 17’s Casey Krajewski reports.
If you have a story idea or news tip you want to share, we want to hear from you!