CREATIVE DISCOVERY MUSEUM
321 Chestnut Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402 www.cdmfun.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: THE CREATIVE DISCOVERY MUSEUMS MISSION IS TO INSPIRE ALL CHILDREN TO EXPLORE, INNOVATE, CREATE AND PLAY.

Creative Discovery Museum CDM is a non-profit, hands-on, museum for children providing educational programs and exhibits in the arts and sciences. The Museum serves nearly 300,000 individuals annually, through museum visits, educational programs, free and reduced-price admission and much more. Of the total individuals served nearly 70,000 students are served through school programs at the Museum and in the schools and more than 45,000 are served through our free and reduced-price programming. The Museum operates with a vision is to make our community the best place for a child to grow up and we value children and families, creativity, play, community and collaboration in all we do.

The Museum achieves its mission first through its permanent exhibition program focusing on arts, sciences, early childhood, health and the environment and through traveling exhibits that complement and supplement the education content of its core exhibits. CDM offers a wide array of education programs within the Museum that complement and enhance the exhibits including Science Theater demonstrations, infant and toddler development classes, home school workshops, summer camps, a teen volunteer program, inclusive activities for children with special needs, arts performances and demonstrations, special event days and walk-up activities. Additionally, the Museum supports the local schools with a variety of educational programs including school tours at the Museum, school outreach lessons, family nights, as well as, professional development workshops for teachers. In 2014, the Museum opened a maker space and in 2019 added an outreach van to improve outreach programming accessibility.

Creative Discovery Museum CDM seeks to be as accessible as possible to children and families throughout the greater Chattanooga area. In 2019, the Museum served nearly 300,000 people. Of this total, 249,000 visitors enjoyed the exhibits and participated in its programs, and over 47,000 students and families participated in the school outreach programs. One of our current strategic goals is to welcome children of all backgrounds and cultures to the Museum and increase their global awareness and cultural literacy through exhibits and programs. To accomplish this goal, CDM was one of the first in Chattanooga to publish social stories, make therapeutic materials available to guests and receive KultureCity Sensory Inclusive Certification to help children with sensory processing disorders feel comfortable in this dynamic environment. In addition, CDM participated in a year-long cohort with the Association of Science and Technology Center through their Cultural Competence Learning Institute that guided the Museum through a project to build organizational capacity.

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