Impact Report
Academic Year 2023–2024
DCM continues to reach new audiences and change lives by expanding access to immersive exhibit experiences and community-based playful learning that inspire curiosity and wonder by nurturing joyful discoveries.
GROWTH BY THE NUMBERS
Building on decades of experience in child development, DCM empowers the adults supporting children with content and learning strategies. Our capacity building is scalable and adaptable.
By supporting adults to provide joyful STEAM learning experiences, DCM reaches children everywhere: at home, in communities, and in schools.
11,591 STUDENTS
321,884 GUESTS IN THE BUILDING
10,803
TOTAL MEMBERSHIPS
5,728 MEMBERSHIPS
5,075 ACCESS MEMBERSHIPS
533
ARTS & STEM WITH DCM LABS
DCM Wonder Clubs
74
324 SITES CLUBS
81,000
INSTRUCTIONAL HOURS
6,760 Volunteers
538
TOTAL VOLUNTEERS HOURS
9 CORPORATE GROUPS
5 COMMUNITY GROUPS
2023-24 compared to 2022-23.
EXPANDED ACCESS
DCM strives to make our extraordinary learning-through-play experiences accessible to every child, regardless of economic, social, or physical barriers. The Museum’s Access Membership program o ers reduced-cost membership to qualifying families.
In response to community needs, DCM created greater ACCESS for new families by changing Access Membership qualifiers by:
• Removing documentation requirements to extend dignity to all.
• Expanding qualifications to include families with children who have Individual Education Plans (IEP) or 504 Plans which outline accommodations, modifications, and services for students with disabilities.
MUSEUM POPUPS
PopUps bring STEAM concepts and DCM’s learning-through-play strategies to community-based organizations like schools, libraries, and activity centers. These inclusive experiences encourage exploration, creative expression, and relationship building for children ages birth to 5 years and their families.
Our family is so thankful to DCM for providing this opportunity for families like ours. Our son will be graduating from his IEP next year. (Yay!) But having this blessing in these early years helped him explore, question, observe, experiment, and explain — which led to his speech breakthrough!
Thank you from one very grateful mama.
47% of DCM memberships are Access Memberships
DCM PopUps have proven popular within the Aurora area and throughout DCM's entire service area. With the addition of equipment purchased with the Community Foundation of Fox River Valley grant, DCM anticipates more than doubling the number of events in 2024.
Renee Miklosik, Chief of Development DuPage Children’s Museum
NEW WONDER ROOM
80% of new members in 2023 qualified through IEP/504 Plans
39
PopUp Play sessions in community-based settings
DCM held focus groups with Museum member families who have — and organizations that serve — children with sensory needs. Stakeholders expressed a desire for a calming space where guests could enjoy quiet wonder amidst the exciting Museum experiences.
Supported by Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation and City of Naperville Special Events and Community Arts Fund, o ers a truly immersive experience where guests are met with dimmed lighting, tranquil music, and interactive images of landscapes projected on the wall. Filled with natural wonder, this exhibit space hosts loose parts, a beautifully lit sound panel mural, a bookshelf full of nature-inspired reading, and big squishy seating to round out the room as a relaxing place for quiet contemplation.