Annual Report 2016

2015–2016 2015–2016 Executive Committee Life Board Members Advisory Board Members

Geoffrey H. Bracken Gail Adler Kristen Berger Greg Meeks President Julie Alexander Leslie D. Blanton Dr. Leslie Miller Nancy Allen Jane Block Brad Morgan William J. Toomey, II William J. Hill Sharon Albert Brier, Amy Moss President-Elect Charlene Pate ABR, CIPS Shelly Mulanax Dr. Kathryn Rabinow A.J. Brass Paul Murphy, Jr. Randolph F. Allen Kathy Britton Daniel S. Parsley Past President 2015–2016 Ernie Cockrell, Jr. Kim Maresh Petersen Board of Directors The Honorable Winnie Phillips Stephen Daniel Elva Akin Garnet Coleman Dr. Barbara G. Samuels Secretary Suzette Caldwell Dr. Kelly Coleman Kristi Schiller Charlotte Christman Pamela Joubert Davis Millette Sherman William J. Hill Ian Fay Tom Debesse Anita Smith (2014–2015) Sam Gainer Adam Drutz Tiffany Avery Smith Saul Solomon Gina Gaston Elie Dimitri Fetokakis Sebastien Solar (2015–2016) Glen Gonzalez Lance Gilliam Krystal Crane Thompson Treasurer William Griffin Hunt Harper Duncan K. Underwood Thad Hill Katherine C. Hatcher Helen Wilson Daniel F. Castaneda Michael H. Holthouse Terri Havens Richard Yoo Vice President of Operations Lee Lahourcade Aaron E. Howes Rachel Leaman Brock Hudson Sicily Dickenson Gina Luna Susan C. Jhin Vice President of Michael Mithoff Mark Jodon Earned Income Katherine Murphy Steve Lasher Meg O’Neill Molly Hackett-LaFauci Michael Lueck Josh Oren Melanie R. Margolis Vice President of Michael J. Plank Sean McCall Strategic Planning Leigh Anne Raymond Michael J. Medrano Sean Rice Dr. Robert McCallister C. Park Shaper Vice President of Brian Thomas Board Activities Dr. Jen Rochlis

Dr. Catherine Horn Ex-Officio Vice President Pamela Laborde of Education The Junior League of Houston, Inc. Lisa Barksdale Vice President of Tammie Kahn Contributed Income Executive Director

Charlene Pate Vice President of Special Initiatives

After School Outreach, Armando Orduña, [email protected], 713.535.7234 Family Learning Events at Schools, Maryellen Salas, [email protected], 713-535.7270 Open Doors Free Access Program, Fernando Perez, [email protected], 713.535.7240 Parent Workshops at Libraries and Community Centers, Gisela Treviño, [email protected], 713.535.7224 Parent Workshops at Schools, Maryellen Salas, [email protected], 713.535.7270 School Field Experiences, Lydia Dungus, [email protected], 713.535.7238 Scout Overnights, Lydia Dungus, [email protected], 713.535.7238 Sensory Friendly Programs, Zulma Morales, [email protected], 713.535.7268 Summer Group Reservations, Lydia Dungus, [email protected], 713.535.7238 Teacher Professional Development, Lydia Dungus, [email protected], 713.535.7238 Volunteering, Aaron Guerrero, [email protected], 713.535.7209 Children’s Museum of Houston • www.cmhouston.org • 1500 Binz, Houston, TX 77004 Friends,

Imagine driving in a circle around the globe three times in 12 months. That is what the 25 member outreach educator team at the Children’s Museum of Houston did this past year. They accumulated over 84,000 miles reaching locations throughout greater Houston to deliver our programs to 320,000 children and their families reached through our partner networks. All of these programs were provided in English or Spanish and at no cost to participants. Every program was evaluated for specific outcomes. Programs are developed in conjunction with our partners and with the input of those we serve.

Early childhood development activities were provided at Head Start locations, faith based organizations, public schools and in Houston Housing Authority residences. Project based after school programs focused on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics) were delivered to children at YMCAs and in networks of out of school sites in low income neighborhoods. Programs focused on building early literacy were hosted at United Way agencies, public library branches, and subsidized housing communities. Parenting education reached parents in their children’s Title 1 schools.

Onsite at CMH another team of 9 educators managed 13 bi-lingual exhibits, including installation of 9 temporary exhibits, reinstallation of major areas of 3 Museum exhibits, and weekly program changes in lab and maker spaces around the Museum. Part of our team operated our onsite branch of the Houston Public Library where we registered families for library cards and provided English and Spanish language story times. Every child attending story times on Thursday nights when the Museum is open at no charge also received a free book for their home library. Over 815,000 attended CMH this year, with 31% receiving free admission because they could not afford to pay.

Your support has made this work possible. For over two decades, the Museum has dedicated itself to collaborating with a growing number of partners which anchor neighborhoods around the region to provide increasingly more comprehensive solutions to the challenges our families face.

Randy Allen receives Hillary Farish Stratton Mary Ellen Salas receives Lois Drutz Boiarsky Tyler King receives Jhin Family Award Award from Mary Farish Johnston Award from Dr. David Drutz from Susan Jhin

It takes bold community leaders, exemplary staff members, and passionate volunteers to make the most of your investment in the Museum. Three are saluted here. 22-year Board veteran and former Board President Randy Allen received the Hillary Farish Stratton Award this year in recognition of his unparalleled Board leadership. The Lois Drutz Boiarsky Award for outstanding staff leadership was given to Mary Ellen Salas, the Museum’s Senior Manager of School Partnerships. Tyler King, President of the CMH Kids’ Committee, earned the Jhin Family Award. All three provide inspiration to all of us at the Museum.

Thank you for making it possible for us to transform communities through innovative, child-centered learning!

Geoffrey H. Bracken Tammie Kahn President 2015–17 Executive Director

Addressing CMH Response Community Needs

COMMUNITY NEED #1 COMMUNITY NEED #2 COMMUNITY NEED #3 Foster the development of Houston’s Increase and support parents’ Provide learning experiences that significant child population engagement in their children’s learning reinforce and supplement school classroom instruction

CMH RESPONSE: CMH RESPONSE: CMH RESPONSE: Provides experiential learning through Provides 7 different bilingual Offers 5 different community-based 13 bilingual hands-on exhibits; high- programs focused on increasing and after-school programs to engage quality early education programming; parent engagement in their students in educational activities that an onsite branch of the Houston Public children’s learning. To further CMH’s can be tailored to their own learning Library System; and 8 after-school commitment, the Institute for Family interests and needs. These programs programs delivered at locations in the Learning develops and delivers offer students the opportunity through community to serve those most in need. curricula and programs to enhance self-initiated and facilitated projects, parents’ roles as their children’s first educational games and activities to and most important teachers. strengthen their science, math and literacy skills.

2 CMH connects children and families with experiences that they can customize to suit their own learning interests. These experiences are designed to offer foundational learning opportunities, provide parents with the support they need in their role as the first teachers of their children, and reinforce learning that occurs in school. In an effort to ensure the broadest access, CMH partners with 870+ community agencies that serve low-income communities and develops and delivers exhibits, programming and facilitation in English and Spanish. Equally important are ongoing efforts to remain accessible and welcoming to those with special needs.

COMMUNITY NEED #4 COMMUNITY NEED #5 COMMUNITY NEED #6 Reduce the effects of poverty on learning Serve a multicultural, multilingual Promote college and career readiness population through the development of 21st century skills

CMH RESPONSE: CMH RESPONSE: CMH RESPONSE: Provides 7 bilingual early education Provides all exhibits, website, programs Bases exhibits and programming on programs dedicated to increasing and facilitation in English and Spanish. “Building Blocks” learning objectives access and engaging low-income CMH presents a range of multicultural that ensure strategic connections children and families. Attendance exhibits and programming that encourages between the CMH’s offerings, 21st of 329,600 children and parents visitor exploration, helping cultivate an century workplace skills, and school- was recorded this past year in understanding and appreciation of the based standards. All of the exhibits 240+ community spaces, with free cultural traditions of diverse communities. undergo intensive testing and ongoing admission and resources provided to 50% of CMH’s public contact staff speaks evaluations to ensure CMH objectives the constituencies of 870+ community- Spanish, the second-language in greatest are achieved. based partner organizations. demand in Houston. All of CMH’s outreach programs can be delivered in Spanish.

Community Foster the development of Greater Houston’s significant child population

Need #1

“We envision a greater Houston region where young children are a part of supportive and nurturing families; where they are able to participate in high-quality, early education, knowing that intentional, early investments significantly improve kindergarten readiness, 3rd grade reading mastery, high school graduation rates, post-high school education/credentialing, and workforce readiness.” –earlymattershouston.org

The need for high-quality learning engagement for children in Houston is greater than ever. The most recent census data released in 2016 reported Houston as the top metro area in the nation for population growth. Since 2011, Houston area child births have been rising on average 3% annually. An estimated 1.3 million children ages birth through 14 live in the Museum’s 5 county service area. These children collectively spend 5.2 billion hours a year outside of school compared to 1.2 billion hours in school. CMH helps parents make use of high quality and engaging learning activities during their children’s out-of-school time.

Building light sabers with electrical circuits Staining to identify onion cell walls using Designing circuits with power switches in the a microscope in the Power Science Lab. in the Shocks & Jolts exhibit. Chevron-Houston Texans Maker Annex.

CMH exhibit engagement builds strong learning foundations. The Museum’s exhibits are designed to inspire and activate children’s natural curiosities, to envelope them deeply in investigations they enjoy and want to repeat or expand later. The efficacy of the Museum’s 12 core exhibits is based on these goals in addition to learning objectives aligned with school achievement100 and success in life. Outcomes measurement strategies employed by the Museum since the late 1990’s provide evidence of impact such as that shown below from a 2016 assessment of learning about managing money through the Bank of America Kidtropolis, U.S.A. exhibit. In Bank of America 80 Kidtropolis, U.S.A. 60 40 20

4 Providing high-quality literacy development for all children is a critical educational priority for greater Houston.

Between 2012 and 2016, one quarter of third graders taking the state reading test failed, meaning that their academic performance was “unsatisfactory” as compared to 75% of students who reached “satisfactory” or “advanced” performance levels. Many factors influence the success of these children and it goes far beyond the school day into preparation in the home, out-of-school programs, early childcare and most importantly a Houston “culture of reading,” a phrase coined by Dr. Julie Baker Finck, President of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation. The Early Matters Coalition top goal is, “By 2025, all Greater Houston area students will be reading at or above grade level by the end of 3rd grade.”

All of CMH’s exhibits and programs incorporate literacy development opportunities. Five are dedicated to literacy – Family Literacy Involvement Program (delivered in libraries and schools); Raise A Reader (delivered in schools); Para los Niños (delivered in libraries and community centers); and Story Times (delivered at CMH). These programs combined served 60,172 children and parents in 2016.

CMH programs build a love of reading along with essential literacy skills - at home, school and in the broader community.

CMH’s literacy engagement approach is project-based learning. Books, writing and 100 dialogue are imbedded within investigations (or projects) in science, math, social studies, 80 and other domains. Parents have reported through assessments across these programs that the 60 strategies employed make a difference for them and for their children. 40 20

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 5

Community Increase and support parents’ engagement in their children’s learning

Need #2

“We have 50 years of research showing that what families do matters. Whether it’s loving school, college access, good attendance, or academic success, family engagement has positive correlations with all sorts of indicators.” - Karen L. Mapp, EdD, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Through the CMH Institute for Family Learning established in 2001, the Museum develops family engagement strategies that help children develop and practice learning literacies that will serve them throughout their lives. These programs include more than 500 activities that parents can use at home with their children.

This programming - accessed through the Museum exhibits, library, More CMH app, outreach and website - serves to develop a host of outcomes and skills including: • confidence as a learner • communicating ideas • basic math skills • science inquiry • literacy skills • problem solving

CMH’s evidence-based Parent Stars program increases parent involvement in children’s learning. The Parent Stars program provides parents with strategies they use at home to engage their children in learning that supports school achievement. Principals choose from 20 different themed events in the form of Family Learning Events or Parent Workshops held at the school. Every family attending an event receives a related bilingual Family Activity Guide including bilingual descriptions of the activities they are trained to facilitate with their children at home. Parent Stars was used in 13 school districts by 82 schools during 2015-16, serving an audience of 32,271 parents and children.

Parents who participated reported a better understanding of the importance of reading with their child, in addition to other critical factors for children’s success in school and beyond.

“[Parent Stars] is one of those rare school events where you can see a parent dressed in a cape, holding a soup spoon, and balancing a ball. It’s wonderful to see such quality interactions!” – teacher

“It was amazing to see our struggling students be successful and have fun.” “CMH really has achieved parent involvement.” –principal 0 20 40 60 80 100

6 Participants in CMH parent engagement programs reached an all-time high.

Parent Stars was the first of CMH’s parent outreach programs. In 1999, CMH served 5,683 parents and children. With audiences and program offerings building steadily over time, in 2016, CMH served 72,371 parents and children offsite through its host of parent engagement programs delivered in schools, libraries and other community locations.

CMH is expanding its parent engagement through new partnerships. Mind in the Making helps parents nurture the development of their children’s essential life skills including focus and self-control, perspective taking, communicating, making connections, critical thinking, taking on challenges, and self-directed engaged learning. Developed by Ellen Galinsky, founder of the Families and Work Institute, the program and provider network of which CMH is a part is led by the Bezos Family Foundation. CMH parent educators incorporate Mind in the Making concepts into all curriculum development and workshops. CMH also hosts 8-session Mind in the Making series. Survey data shows the intensive program has a substantial impact with 97% of participants having reported acquiring new knowledge and approaches; 100% saying it helped them improve their skills with their children; 100% saying that it helped them meet their goals, and 100% saying the training made them want to learn more.

“Before the program, I didn’t know how to communicate – how to deal with the different age categories of children in my family. This program taught me to actually think and communicate with my family more.” —Mind in the Making parent participant

Triple P is a 5–level system tiered to meet the needs of all parents. Level 1 is a public information campaign that has not yet launched for Houston; Levels 2–4 are workshops; and Level 5 is intensive therapy oriented toward eliminating situations of abuse. CMH staff have been trained through our partner CHILDREN AT RISK to facilitate Levels 2, 3, and 4.

CMH incorporates Triple P concepts into the Parent Stars and Para los Niños programs. Additionally, the Museum facilitates Triple P workshops at partner sites. Parents reported that the seminar was helpful in gaining an understanding of what they could do to help their child learn new skills and behaviors as well as gaining sufficient knowledge for implementation. Seventy-eight percent reported that they intend to implement the parenting advice they received.

“I used to feel guilty about not spending enough time with my children because I am a working mom. However, now that I understand the underlying benefits of paying attention and focusing on the good things my children do, I find myself spending more frequent moments with them.” —Triple P parent participant

ReadyRosie is the video-modeling technology platform for parent engagement that has been adopted by the Early Matters Coalition and implemented by many Houston area school districts. In May, CMH partnered with ReadyRosie to develop a new event that combines Parent Stars hands-on activities with ReadyRosie videos. Together, we were investigating the potential of a Parent Stars Family Learning Event to increase use of the Ready Rosie videos by parents. Fourty-five percent of participating parents reported that they had not used the app yet, but were motivated to by the participation in the event.

Community Reinforce and supplement school classroom instruction

Need #3

“Decades of results across a number of developmental and intervention studies establish a clear warrant for out-of-school learning supports, including after-school and summer learning programs and family involvement in learning. Together with schools, these three supports comprise some of the essential components of a complementary learning system.” – Harvard Family Research Project

Teachers value how learning at CMH advances the ability of their students to meet academic expectations.

CMH engages children in complex challenges that enable them to meaningfully synthesize and apply what they learn in school. These kinds of materials-rich, project-based learning experiences are critical in helping close the achievement and skills gap between underserved and under-resourced children and their peers. Using a variety of instructional strategies and programs, CMH’s staff of 27 professional educators and cadre of 56 para-professional facilitators manage a curriculum of over 1,500 activities that expands by ~200 annually. Each activity is aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards and is bound together with others as appropriate to create unique units of exploration. These activities are made available to students through 32 different programs in the Museum as well as offsite at community partner locations. Classroom teachers can access over 150 of them through CMH’s online searchable database.

Teachers visiting the Museum with students during the 2015–16 school year reported that CMH served as an excellent learning lab for their students. The chart below reflects their perspectives on CMH’s alignment with Texas school standards, the ability of the exhibit activities to meet their students’ learning needs, and the overall field trip experience.

“The best field trip I have been on in my 20 years as a teacher! Very 100 organized, friendly, awesome!” – teacher 90

“Students … were 80 exposed to things they do not normally see, and 70 learned while having fun.” – teacher 60

8 Consistent increases in STEM knowledge and skills have prompted rapid growth in CMH’s A’STEAM after school program partnership.

Launched in 2012 at 28 YMCA afterschool locations at schools throughout the Houston area, the A’STEAM program almost doubled in the first four years with further expansion underway for 2017.

FYI3–28 sites FYI4–34 sites FYI5–41 sites FYI6–54 sites

Students participating in A’STEAM during the 2015–16 school year made statistically significant gains greater than those of peers within a control group who 30% attended afterschool centers in less impoverished neighborhoods where the A’STEAM program was not offered. 25% These findings are consistent with those since the inception of the program. While the A’STEAM students had lower scores at 20% the beginning of the 2015–16 school year than the control group, they caught up to their more advantaged peers by the end of the school year, achieving an increase in STEM knowledge that was 15% twice that of their control group peers. 10%

Project-based learning is a hallmark of CMH programming, promoting experimentation, creativity and simulation of possible careers.

With an ever-expanding and refreshed curriculum aligned with current Texas school standards, participants in CMH programs are exposed to a wide variety of learning opportunities – coding, experimentation, nutrition, ecology, algebraic thinking, data analysis, culture, problem solving, design, inquiry, forensics, voting, variables, robotics, engineering, digital fabrication, and more.

“…Learning skyrockets when students are passionate about the subject matter.” —Constance Steinkuehler, Senior Policy Analyst, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

Community Reduce the effects of poverty on learning

Need #4

One in four children in the Greater Houston area lives in a household with income below the poverty line. Even more children (37%) live in high poverty neighborhoods. – Center for Public Policy Priorities, 2016 Children who believe in their ability to learn are “appreciably buffered against the deleterious affects of poverty on achievement.” – Claro, et al, Stanford University

Children living in poverty are most often not afforded the same learning opportunities as their peers. These disparities include struggling schools, fewer out-of-school learning opportunities and parents who lack the confidence and/or skills needed in their role as teachers of their children. CMH is dedicated to helping close these gaps in opportunities in order to also close the gaps in achievement, which according to the Education Equity Index (2016) grew by 15% in Houston between 2011 and 2014. CMH is a trusted community anchor that provides important linkages and resources to all families, regardless of their ability to pay.

For over three decades, CMH has been a community catalyst for positive change, well-integrated in the greater Houston community, drawing in ideas and energy that convert into a responsive network of partnerships and programs supporting the educational, economic, social, and ecological connections of the community. Programs include Thursday Free Family Nights, Title One school field experiences, Sensory Friendly Days and more. CMH’s 870+ Open Doors Partners help to facilitate this broad accessibility by distributing CMH Free Family Passes to their clients. Due to these policies, 31% of visitors were admitted to the Museum free of charge in 2016. Another 329,600 children and family members participated in CMH outreach programs in libraries, schools, faith-based organizations, apartment complexes and other community spaces with no associated fees to families. These programs were led by a team of 27 curriculum developers, instructors, evaluators, partnership builders, and program support staff who work to ensure that each session, activity and overall program serves the learning needs of children and families throughout the Greater Houston area who are underserved, under-represented, and/or under-resourced.

329,600 children, parents and caregivers receive specialized learning-focused programming at no cost.

10 CMH Open Doors Partners distribute Free Family Passes and/or host one of the Museum’s outreach programs within 2 miles of any family living inside Beltway 8.

Fort Bend County

CMH Outreach Educators with Dr. Cheryl McCallum (center, red glasses), CMH Director of Education 11

Community Serve a multicultural, multilingual population

Need #5

“In the course of the past 35 years, this traditionally biracial, Southern metropolis has quite suddenly become one of the most ethnically diverse urban regions in the country.” —Kinder Houston Area Survey, 2016 “Harnessing the region’s burgeoning racial/ethnic diversity is a central challenge.” —Kinder Institute, Houston Region Grows Report, 2012

Today, 27 percent of Houston’s residents are immigrants, hailing from countries that span the globe and comprising 29 percent of the labor force and 31 percent of business owners (White House Task Force on New Americans, 2016).

In light of this, CMH has built its programs to serve the needs of a diverse population. These efforts include the annual Seasons of Sharing exhibit teaching visitors about seven different cultural observances, Spotlight Performance series showcasing performance arts from around the globe, four cultural exhibits that change every 18 months, and a host of WonderWeeks that celebrate cultural heritage observances representing the various communities of Houston.

CMH audiences reflect the demographics of Houston.

African Anglo Asian Hispanic Other American American “The institution has mastered the art of CMH exhibits and programs are designed and outreach… [and] their delivered to meet the educational needs of all audiences represent the Houston children and their families. demographics of Houston 100% Museum’s exhibits and programs are well.” offered in English and Spanish —City of Houston Arts and Culture Plan, 2015 50% Staff are bilingual or multilingual (10 languages represented) 79% Visitors are non-Anglo 94% Outreach participants are non-Anglo 12 CMH delivers its programs throughout Greater Houston in the neighborhoods where families live, work and go to school.

More than 80% of the 2015–16 Para los Niños parent workshops were delivered in Spanish or bilingually in English and Spanish. Increasingly over the past several years, CMH educators have been working with community partners to also facilitate the program in multilingual formats including Kurdish, Arabic and Chinese.

94% of parents felt more confident about teaching their child 94% gained new ideas to incorporate math into everyday activities 94% learned about their child’s learning style and pace 96% of parents plan to continue learning activities over the summer 92% of parents gained ideas about how to use science when working together with their children

The Family Literacy Involvement Program (FLIP) serves as the “backbone” of the Museum’s literacy initiatives, with the program expanded in FY16 to include a total of fifty HISD schools and all of the Houston Public Library locations not estrictedr to special collections. Each FLIP Kit includes a book and the supplies needed to complete an activity that increases interest in reading and builds skills related to vocabulary and comprehension. In HISD, volunteers trained by the Museum, the Neuhaus Education Center and the Museum use the FLIP Kits with first graders who do not eceiver adequate reading time at home, and also encourage them to ask their parents to use the FLIP kits circulated at thirty-nine branches of the Houston Public Library.

4,150 FLIP kits 89 Available in English and 3 other languages in the Houston area locations Spanish, Vietnamese, Traditional & Simplified Chinese

Based on FLIP’s multi-year success, the Museum joined the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation to develop Mystery at the Market for a pilot at HEB grocery stores during the 2016 National Read Aloud Month. Bilingual kits (Eng/Spn) were given to over 300 families entering grocery stores in low income neighborhoods. Each kit provided opportunities for parents to engage their children with fun literacy challenges while shopping. All participating kids, infants through 3rd graders, received a free book when leaving the store. Data gained from surveys administered to participating parents showed that this adaptation of the FLIP model also had high levels of success.

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 13

Community Promote college and career readiness through the development of

Need #6 21st century skills

“Rather than systematically accumulating static “stocks” of knowledge, students now need to learn how to actively participate in “flows” of knowledge by engaging with others. … In this new world,curiosity and creativity become critical skills (or dispositions) that motivate students to seek answers to the questions that most interest them—an ability that will serve them well throughout the rest of their lives.” —The Aspen Institute, 2014

CMH programs promote interest-driven knowledge development through real-world, realistic, project-based learning.

Bankers, scientists, engineers, inventors, researchers, politicians, entrepreneurs, teachers, police officers, programmers – these are very few of the careers that CMH visitors will pursue as they grow up. To help ALL children envision themselves in a variety of roles, to imagine their possible selves, the Museum aims to meaningfully expose children and their families to these opportunities, careers and civic roles.

Dr. Jose Luis Contreras-Vidal, professor of electrical and computer engineering at University of Houston, along with his students, engaged visiting children and families in his research about the relationship between the brain and creativity as well as robotic prosthesis similar to those simulated in the Iron Man movies.

“My favorite part was the engineering. I did not know what engineers did before this trip and now I want to be one.” —Alejandra, Edison Middle School student

Science Workshop students studied with biologists in Galveston and geologists in downtown Houston. Many had never been to Galveston or downtown, much less envisioned themselves in these careers in their futures.

14 CMH is at the forefront of the maker movement with our host of partners. Emerging as a way to engage children in STEM, maker activities pique new interests in youth, particularly girls and minorities.

Programming line-following robots Building a rubber band car Discussing hydraulics with Jeff Shellebarger, President of Chevron North America Exploration and Production Company, and Jamey Rootes, President of the Houston Texans

96% of parents told the Museum through surveys that they would bring their child to CMH just to participate in the Chevron-Houston Texans Maker Annex.

“It’s been great to see new things that invoke the children “I like it because… we do a lot of the on another level with items they don’t have in a regular parents child school.” things we don’t do at school.”

“I believe this program encourages the children to “I like it because… I get to work on parents child be more creative.” projects at my own pace.”

“The kids have really enjoyed doing different things they normally wouldn’t get a chance to do such as hydraulic parents child “I like it because… it combines bridges and Arduino [coding].” science and robotics.”

CMH program and exhibit learning opportunities are designed to expose children to new possibilities and engage them in meaningful learning opportunities that interest and motivate them. CMH is helping prepare the children of today for the world of tomorrow which will be increasingly complex, require flexibility in thinking and necessitate the development of new skill sets throughout life. CMH has been recognized nationally for this work through invitations to two White House convenings for the purpose of helping spread these kinds of learning experiences throughout the U.S. to all children.

The Museum joined the NSF-funded CMH partnered with the Exploratorium The Department of Energy asked CMH Portal to the Public Network and has to pilot an after school program to be their Houston partner and host trained 31 local scientists to engage CMH commissioned by the Department of for a day dedicated to scientists sharing visitors with science concepts along with Education and funded by the Institute of their work with middle school girls from their specific research. Museum and Library Services. traditionally underrepresented groups.

15 delivery encourages focused discussions on technical and scientific careers in chemistry, and science in general. BASF Kids’ Lab brings the magic of science to children, parents, and caregivers alike. Participants Served: 496 Sponsor: BASF Corporation

Bilingual Learning Guides We have published eleven bilingual Family Learning Guides to provide parents with the instruction and insight needed to facilitate activities that build children’s knowledge and skills. Each guide features at least 25 activities grouped by a theme, including early literacy, mathematics, science, nutrition/fitness and social studies. All 35th Anniversary Presented by Phillips 66 required supplies can be purchased at dollar EcoStation In 2016, CMH celebrated our 35th year serving stores and grocery stores, with most items Our EcoStation exhibit combines Houston’s children and families. Phillips 66 generally kept on hand in families’ homes. wildscaped areas and a pond teeming was the presenting sponsor of the year long Learning Guides distributed to families: with life with a rustic Research Pavilion event which began with a birthday party for all 21,606 where families perform activities that help of Houston’s families and celebration events Sponsors: Barbara Bush Houston Literacy them discover how scientists study the throughout the year. Foundation, Brown Foundation, Inc., environment and how they can engage in Sponsor: Phillips 66 ExxonMobil, George and Mary Josephine eco-friendly practices. A Discovery Guide

is often on hand, facilitating activities A’STEAM Hamman Foundation, Phillips 66 that change weekly to reference our Within the A’STEAM program, our educators Bilingual Programming and Signage WonderWeek themes. create the curriculum and provide the We provide bilingual facilitation and Visitors Served: 245,100 children, parents training and supplies that equip the YMCA’s resources to accommodate families who afterschool counselors to facilitate design and caregivers use Spanish as their primary language. challenges for children on a weekly basis Sponsor: Strake Foundation, The Junior All exhibit signage is bilingual, as are throughout the school year. The A’STEAM League of Houston, Inc. 50% of our public contact staff and 100% program and its results is highlighted within of our outreach educators. In addition, our response to Community Need # 3 of this Spanish-language resources account for report. approximately 20% of the books and media Participants Served: 1,400 children at 60 sites, in our Parent Resource Library, with the with cumulative attendance of 41,999 Google Translate function on our website Sponsors: Boeing, CenterPoint Energy, making its information available in 90 ConocoPhillips, The W.T. and Louise J. Moran languages. Foundation, Valero Energy Corporation, Latham Visitors and Participants Served: 817,000 & Watkins, Friedkin Group, YMCA of Greater on-site visitors and outreach attendance of Houston 329,600 Sponsor: Houston Endowment, Inc

Chevron-Houston Texans Maker Annex Our Chevron-Houston Texans Maker Annex serves as the high-tech workshop within The David and Jean Wiley Foundation Invention Convention, with children mentored by Maker Corps members as they build and test projects of their own choosing. Impacts are extended with our Museum- Family Adventures wide celebration of National Engineering To overcome the hesitancy of families from Week. The Chevron-Houston Texans Maker low-income communities to make their first Annex is featured within our response to visits to the Museum, we invite entire school Community Need #6 of this report and at its communities to make the trip together, website at kidmakers.org. providing transportation, free admission Visitors and Participants Served: 5,418 and special activities. We make the Family Sponsor: Chevron, Houston Texans Adventures available to Title I schools throughout the school year, and invite all Cyberchase: The Chase is On! participants to return regularly on Free BASF Kids’ Labs We created the Cyberchase exhibit in Family Nights and via the use of our Open CMH and BASF Corporation developed a partnership with WNET (New York’s Public Doors passes. partnership to bring the BASF Kids’ Lab Media station) with children taking on program to the Museum. Children become Visitors Served: 9,154 children, parents and the roles of characters from this popular caregivers from 60 elementary schools and immersed in the adventure of science through television show as they save Cyberspace interactive hands-on learning and each and defeat Hacker, the dastardly villain. community centers lab experience supports standards-based Each challenge requires real world Sponsors: The Junior League of Houston, chemistry curriculum and multiple learning applications of mathematics and critical Inc., Anchorage Foundation, Albert and Ethel styles. In addition, this flexible method of thinking skills. Herzstein Charitable Foundation Visitors Served: 163,400 children, parents and caregivers Sponsors: Ernst & Young LLP, 16 National Science Foundation

Family Literacy Involvement Program Free Family Nights Georgia. These exhibits immerse children in Each one of our FLIP Kits contain a Every Thursday evening from 5 to 8 p.m., the traditions, values, performing arts and children’s book, instructions for an activity we open our doors for a Free Family Night. daily life of people from other places, inviting that relates to the theme of the book, and Near capacity audiences fill the Museum, them to explore how we are all both the all required supplies. We circulate more exploring our exhibits, taking part in “same” and “different.” than 2,400 FLIP kits at 39 branches of activities facilitated by staff and volunteers, Visitors Served: 204,250 children, parents the Houston Public Library and provide and enjoying live performances and our and caregivers 1,750 additional FLIP Kits used at 50 low- Pi Beta Phi Storytimes. These evenings Partner: Association of Children’s Museums performing HISD elementary schools to are also a favorite of partners who come Sponsors: The Freeman Foundation, increase the acquisition of early literacy to provide free resources and services, Samsung skills. FLIP is featured within our response to including the back-to-school inoculations of Community Need #5 of this report, with our the Texas Children’s Hospital Mobile Clinic How Does It Work? catalog posted at www.flipkits.org/browse- Program. Our two-story How Does it Work exhibit flip-kits. Visitors Served: 98,079 children, parents and provides a focus on the physical sciences, Participants Served: 32,200 caregivers with children asking and answering Sponsors: Institute of Museum and Library Sponsors: The Wortham Foundation, Inc., questions as they manipulate simple Services, Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Laura and John Arnold, Houston Endowment machines, build structures and configure Foundation, PwC , The Samuels Family Inc., John P. McGovern Foundation, The electrical devices. The exhibit also features Foundation, William J. Hill, The Hamill Junior League of Houston, Inc, LUKOIL, the Science Station, where Discovery Foundation, Ed Rachal Foundation, Ascende William J. Hill, Houston Pi Beta Phi Guides facilitate science experiments during all hours of operation that are aligned with Charitable Trust each of our WonderWeek themes Free Inoculations . Committed to creating a community of Visitors Served: 490,200 children, parents healthy children, CMH makes it possible for and caregivers all children under 18 needing immunizations Sponsor: Flint Hills Resources to have the opportunity to receive free vaccinations. We partner with Texas Children’s Hospital Mobile Clinic Program to administer immunizations and flu shots September through May as well as back to school vaccinations every Thursday Free Family Night in August. Visitors Served: 856 Partner: Texas Children’s Hospital

Houston’s Kids Collaboration is at the core of each of our outreach programs, with our partnership in the Houston’s Kids initiative bringing Museum-developed science and math FlowWorks activities to students at six schools in the This outdoor exhibit features the ability of Alief Independent School District. water to do work and provides children Cumulative Attendance: 7,393 children with opportunities to alter how water is at 6 sites Institute for Family Learning channeled through a series of dams, locks Partners: Communities in Schools, All of our outreach programs, curriculum and aqueducts. The exhibit was created with United Way of Greater Houston, YMCA of development activities, and professional the support of an engineer from ExxonMobil, Greater Houston, Alief ISD development offerings function under the a professor from Rice University, and a Sponsors: United Way of Greater Houston, umbrella of our Institute for Family Learning, science master teacher from HISD to William J. Hill which was established to prioritize the provide children with the ability to consider Museum’s focus on family learning and how moving water serves as a metaphor for parental support. many types of energy flows. Attendance at Outreach Programs: 329,600 Visitors Served: 326,800 children, parents children, parents and caregivers and caregivers Sponsors: The Stanford and Joan Alexander Sponsor: Ruth and Ted Bauer Family Family Fund, Houston Endowment Inc., The Foundation Brown Foundation, Inc., George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation, RSM, William J. Hill, Deacons of Deadwood

John P. McGovern Tot*Spot Our John P. McGovern Tot*Spot exhibit provides a special space for children under the age of three, engaging them in activities that encourage exploration, increase confidence, and stimulate the development of language and motor skills. Parents and other caregivers learn as they play, receiving new information through engagement with How Are We Alike? their children and via interactions with the Within our How Are We Alike? gallery, we Tot*Spot Educator, Discovery Guides, videos cycle a series of four exhibits that feature and visitors. the culture of Viet Nam; Seoul, Korea; Oaxaca, Mexico; and the Gullah community Visitors Served: 163,400 children, parents of the Sea Islands of South Carolina and and caregivers Sponsor: John P. McGovern Foundation 17 Kids’ Hall Art exhibits Lois Drutz Boiarsky Award Visitors Served: 52,178 students from 482 We host art exhibitions throughout the year We honor the memory of Lois Drutz Boiarsky schools, including 10,278 from 68 Title I on the walls of the John P. McGovern Kids’ with an annual award that celebrates schools who received $1 admission Hall, one of two major thoroughfares through the contributions of staff who like Lois, Sponsors: The Cullen Foundation, Wells the Museum. These art exhibits include exemplify a passionate commitment to holiday displays, exhibitions produced by our work. Lois was the first paid employee Fargo, The Wortham Foundation program partners, and exhibitions produced of the Museum and helped establish and by the National Center for Children’s foster a cultural expectation for excellence Illustrated Literature, with the latter bringing throughout her eleven years with us. In attention to award winning examples of 2016, we honored the contributions of Mary children’s literature. Ellen Salas, Senior Manager of School Visitors Served: 817,000 children, parents Partnerships and Group Sales. and caregivers Sponsor: Lydia and David Drutz Sponsors: John P. McGovern Foundation, CFP Foundation, Dorothy Carsey Sumner Magnificent Math Moments Serving as the foundation of our math Bank of America Kidtropolis, USA offerings, the Magnificent Math Moments Kidtropolis, USA is a city run by kids for involve a set of 140 games and activities kids, featuring eight businesses, a civic that reinforce key math concepts for center and municipal building. Kids fill all the children in preschool through 6th grade. roles in the city, holding positions that range To reach a large and diverse audience, we from artist to veterinarian, and shaping the facilitate these Math Moments onsite at our ExxonMobil Math Cart, and incorporate plans for legislation and elections. Civic engagement and financial literacy are at the the activities in professional development core of the exhibit, with financial interactions workshops and through outreach Open Doors supported by the exhibit’s Bank of America programming provided across the Greater We partner with 870+ neighborhood- branch and ATMs. Houston area. based organizations that serve low-income Visitors Served: 653,600 children, parents Participants Served: 50,077 children, parents, families across the Greater Houston area, and caregivers caregivers and teachers providing them with the ability to distribute Title Sponsor: Bank of America Sponsor: ExxonMobil an unlimited number of free family passes Sponsors: The Stanford and Joan Alexander to their clients. We also provide Open Doors Family Fund, The Adler Foundation, Brass Matter Factory admissions to patients of the Harris Health Family Foundation, Hearst Foundation, We developed the Matter Factory exhibit System and to families who receive welfare with the support of Rice University’s benefits. The location of our Open Doors H-E-B, Houston Livestock Show and Center for Environmental and Biological partners is displayed on page 11 of this Rodeo, William J. Hill, JPMorgan Chase, Nanotechnology, the University of Houston’s report in our response to Community Richard Warren Mithoff Family Charitable Smart Materials Lab, and the Nanoscale Need #4. Foundation, Memorial Hermann Health Informal Science Education Network. Visitors Served: 89,797 children, parents and System, Niko Niko’s, Perry Homes, Visitors explore the properties of matter; caregivers PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP, Reliant, an test and sort materials based on their Sponsors: Laura and John Arnold, Goldman NRG Company, Banfield, The Pet Hospital characteristics; investigate the differences between solids, liquids and gasses; and are Sachs Gives, Sterling Turner Foundation, CFP Foundation, Credit Suisse Securities Kit-Based Afterschool Program introduced to the basics of nanotechnology. Visitors Served: 245,100 children, parents LLC, , William J. Hill, The J.W. and M.I. We created this afterschool program with Loots Foundation, Dottie and Dr. Robert H. the support of a National Leadership and caregivers Award from the Institute of Museum and Sponsor: Holthouse Foundation for Kids McCallister, Tapeats Fund Library Services. Within the program, Mommy Mingles Overnight Adventures we provide activity kits and training to We remain open around the clock when we the staff of afterschool centers in low- On the first Wednesday of each month, we host a Mommy Mingle in a meeting space host the Overnight Adventures for at-risk income neighborhoods so that they may 4th grade girls from local schools, who are facilitate selections from a set of 112 games adjacent to the Tot*Spot exhibit, providing parents and caregivers with an opportunity treated to an educational, memorable and and activities that most often feature confidence-building sleepover facilitated mathematics. to meet, mingle and share experiences related to the care of infants and toddlers. by volunteers from the Junior League of Cumulative Attendance: 13,791 at 21 sites Houston. Sponsors: ExxonMobil, The W.T. and Louise J. Our Tot*Spot Educator and Discovery Guides are on hand to provide support and Participants Served: 554 girls from 25 Moran Foundation introduce new visitors to the Tot*Spot’s schools resources. Sponsor: The Junior League of Houston, Inc. Visitors Served: 1,453 children, parents and caregivers Sponsor: The Woman’s Hospital of Texas Pediatric Center

Museum Field Experiences Schools from across the Greater Houston area come to the Museum throughout the school year to take part in two-hour, fully facilitated experiences that are aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards. These field experiences provide students with hands-on challenges and inquiry exercises that ground and reinforce the knowledge and skills they acquire in their classrooms.

18 Para los Niños Parent Stars Sensory Friendly Day Sponsors: The Stanford Within the Para los Niños program, we We provide the bilingual Family Learning and Joan Alexander Family Fund, Mogas provide a series of 11 workshops for families Events and Parent Workshops of the Parent Industries, Marilyn and Louis Mogas, Melinda that feature the basics of early childhood Stars program at schools and community and Matthew Mogas, Bank of Texas development and the ways in which centers to demonstrate how parents can use parents can support learning throughout our Family Learning Guides and activities Explore Abilities Day Sponsor: The Stanford the pre-school years. Workshops are to facilitate learning at home. The program and Joan Alexander Family Fund targeted to Hispanic parents from low targets low-income parents who may not be income communities who use Spanish confident in serving as their children’s most as their primary language. We facilitate influential teachers, with an overview and these workshops at library branches and results within our response to Community community centers. Need #2. Participants Served: 8,461 children, parents Participants Served: 32,271 parents and and caregivers at 72 locations children at 82 schools and community Sponsors: Institute of Museum and Library centers Services, Target, The Powell Foundation, Sponsors: The Brown Foundation, Inc., The KPMG Henderson-Wessendorff Foundation, The George Foundation, Phillips 66, George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation, United Way of Greater Houston, William J. Hill

PowerPlay We developed this high-energy exhibit with a grant from the National Institutes of Health in partnership with Baylor College Science Workshop of Medicine. The exhibit engages visitors in We operate the Science Workshop as an physical challenges that help them assess afterschool and summer program of Edison how their bodies’ react to exercise and Middle School in Houston’s East End. then form plans for increasing flexibility, Within the Science Workshop, students balance, strength, speed and conditioning. create projects of their own choosing, with The exhibit also features the PowerScience the tools at their disposal ranging from the Lab, where visitors take part in experiments basic hand and power tools associated that highlight key aspects of biology and with woodworking, to the software and nutrition. equipment required for projects involving Visitors Served: 326,800 children, parents the use of Arduino microcontrollers and 3D Parent Resource Library and caregivers printers. The Museum includes our Parent Resource Sponsors: Albert and Margaret Alkek Cumulative Attendance: 7,292 student visits Library, a circulating branch of the Houston Foundation, H-E-B, Texas Children’s Hospital, during the school year and 2016 summer Public Library. The Library provides more Radoff Family Foundation session than 5,000 print and media resources, with approximately 20% in bilingual or Professional Development Workshops Sponsors: Cooperative for After-School Spanish formats and an additional subset We provide ongoing training for teachers Enrichment, HESS Corporation, M.D. of the collection featuring resources for and childcare providers, featuring Museum- Anderson Foundation, Vivian L. Smith parents who are addressing special needs. developed approaches and activities related Foundation, The Rochlis Family Foundation, We keep the Library staffed during all to the development of early literacy, financial The Hamill Foundation, United Way of Greater hours of operation so that we may provide literacy, the STEM disciplines, nutrition/ Houston, Kinder Morgan Foundation, Jack H. recommendations and assist families to physical activity, and the incorporation of and William M. Light Charitable Trust access additional resources via the Library’s mobile devices into classroom instruction. computers. Participants Served: 2,096 teachers and Visitors Served: 60,278 children, parents and childcare providers caregivers Sponsors: Bank of America, ExxonMobil Sponsors: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Kathryn and Richard Rabinow, The Sensory Friendly and Samuels Family Foundation Explore Abilities Days We provide four Sensory Friendly Days each year for families whose children would be overwhelmed by inputs on a standard day of operation due to the impact of Autism Spectrum Disorders and Sensory Processing Differences. Guests tour our exhibits, which we modify to temporarily reduce sensory stimulation, and network with one another and with treatment providers. In addition, we offer Explore Abilities Day, an exclusive event for children with learning differences and their families. Designed in partnership with the Meyer Center for Developmental Pediatrics and Autism Center at Texas Children’s Hospital, Explore Abilities gives families the opportunity to enjoy the entire Museum at their own pace and also participate in the special activities occurring that day. Invitations to the events are online at www.cmhouston.org/sensory-friendly. People Served: 1,767 children, parents and caregivers 19 S.E.C.R.E.T. Summer of Learning (S ō L) What’s New Gallery CMH launched S.E.C.R.E.T, an interactive We developed this program in partnership We use this gallery to host temporary secret agent experience in FY16. This with the YMCA of Greater Houston to exhibits and prototype new exhibit revolutionary experience is designed to combat learning loss during the summer components. In FY16, the gallery hosted take a child’s museum visit to the next level, months. Each year, we create a new set of Amazingly Immature, an exhibit created where their knowledge, skills and creativity kits for summer camp participants, with a by the Museum in collaboration with all come into play to save the day. Kids twenty-unit curriculum engaging children Klutz® and its parent company Scholastic report to duty and are assigned to go on in learning related to experimentation, that encouraged multi-generational secret missions throughout the Museum. water, wind, engineering and inventions. communication and STEM learning through Using state-of-the-art technology, agents Complexity levels build throughout, with play by combining immature challenges gear up to solve puzzles, discover hidden a capstone project involving a challenge with real science concepts; Made in Your agendas and thwart the villains’ schemes. that draws together the primary learning Mind, featuring do-it-yourself (DIY) activities There’s currently nothing like it in Houston or messages. to build and test a series of toy-inspired in any children’s museum in the world! Cumulative Attendance: 9,761 students projects; and Shocks and Jolts, a hands- Participants Served: 3,980 at 11 community centers during the 2016 on exhibition focused on understanding Sponsors: William J. Hill, The Holthouse summer session electricity. Foundation for Kids, Katie and A.J. Brass, Sponsors: The W.T. and Louise J. Moran Visitors Served: 326,800 children, parents Pam and Steve Daniel, Michael Plank, The Foundation, United Way of Greater Houston and caregivers Allen Family, Shelley and Geoff Bracken, The Sponsors: Charlene Pate, William Stamps Medrano Family Foundation, The Mithoff Farish Fund, Fondren Foundation, Avanade, Family, Stedman West Foundation, Charlene Cameron International Pate, Dottie and Robert McCallister, Gail and Louis Adler

The David and Jean Wiley Foundation Invention Convention We created the Invention Convention exhibit to provide children of all ages with the ability XCL and the More CMH app We lead a collaborative that has developed to design, create and test inventions. The exhibit features three discrete areas, with an app that provides children’s museums Spotlight Performances and science centers with a platform for We stage live performances of theater, the first challenging families to create any of about a dozen simple projects. The second digital interfaces to be linked to exhibit dance, music, magic and storytelling for components. The More CMH app provides our visitors on Free Family Nights, Saturday area features the fully facilitated Inventor’s Workshop, where families take on a series visitors with opportunities to be coached afternoons and holidays, hosting most in on interactions with exhibit components, our 166-seat Brown Foundation Auditorium. of weekly engineering challenges. The third area – the Chevron-Houston Texans Maker participate in exhibit-based experiments, The demographics of the performers are learn more online, and engage in extremely diverse, with many featuring Annex – is described in a separate entry. Visitors Served: 245,100 experiments at home. cultural performances that are new to our Partners: New York Hall of Science; visitors. Roughly one-fifth of the performers Sponsor: The David and Jean Wiley are children, helping our visitors see that Foundation, Total Oregon Museum of Science and Industry; their involvement in the arts can begin now. Sciencenter; Museum of Life and Science; Visitors Served: 18,564 children, parents and The Jhin Family Volunteer of the and Lawrence Hall of Science at the caregivers attended 105 performances Year Award University of California, Berkeley Sponsor: The Wortham Foundation We award the Jhin Family Volunteer of the Sponsors: Institute of Museum and Library Year Award annually to a volunteer who Services, Pariveda Solutions embodies the enthusiasm that Susan Jhin and her family demonstrate for our mission and for service to many generations of children. In 2016, we honored Denyce Galvan, a student at East Early High School for her commitment as a Science Workshop volunteer at Edison Middle School. Sponsor: The Jhin Family Think Tank We created the Think Tank exhibit to feature puzzles and brain teasers that highlight various approaches to problem-solving. The exhibit emphasizes the fact that there is no single “right” way to solve a problem, and that the most effective approaches often involve novel applications of methods and insights. 20 Visitors Served: 245,100 CMH is grateful for broad-based support from many parts of the philanthropic community. Generous donations from corporations, foundations, public agencies and individuals provide funding for the Museum’s outreach programs, operations, exhibits, program development and endowment with $4,244,376 contributed for the 2015–2016 fiscal year.

Donors Gifts made to benefit our four primary fundraising events are listed on the following pages,

while gifts made in direct support of CMH’s general operations, exhibits, programs and endowment are featured below.

$1,500,000–$250,000 $49,999–$25,000 Jack H. and William M. Light Joan and Stanford Bank of Texas Charitable Trust Alexander Family BASF Memorial Hermann Chevron Boeing Company Dottie and Dr. Robert H. Institute of Museum and The Brown Foundation, Inc McCallister Library Services ConocoPhillips Mogas Industries Ed Rachal Foundation The Powell Foundation $249,500–$100,000 Goldman Sachs Gives The Radoff Foundation Laura and John Arnold Houston First Corporation The Rochlis Family Foundation Foundation The Junior League of Total Bank of America Houston, Inc. Valero Energy Corporation Barbara Bush Houston LUKOIL Wells Fargo Literacy Foundation M.D. Anderson Foundation Woman’s Hospital of Texas The Hamill Foundation Niko Niko’s Mr. William J. Hill Reliant Energy $9,999–$5,000 Houston Endowment Inc. RSM Credit Suisse Securities, LLC John P. McGovern Foundation The Samuels Family Deacons of Deadwood Phillips 66 Foundation David J. and Lydia H. Drutz David and Jean Wiley Vivian L. Smith Foundation The Friedkin Group, Inc. Foundation Sterling Turner Foundation Albert & Ethel Herzstein The Wortham Foundation, Inc. Texas Children’s Hospital Charitable Foundation Kinder Morgan Foundation $99,999–$50,000 $24,999–$10,000 Latham & Watkins The Cullen Foundation Adler Foundation J.W. & M.I. Loots Charitable ExxonMobil Anchorage Foundation Foundation The Williams Stamps of Texas Strake Foundation Farish Fund Ascende Charitable Trust The Tapeats Fund Flint Hills Resources Avanade The Fondren Foundation Banfield, The Pet Hospital H-E-B Cameron International HESS CenterPoint Energy Houston Livestock Show CFP Foundation & Rodeo The George Foundation The W.T. and Louise J. Moran George and Mary Josephine Foundation Hamman Foundation PwC Henderson-Wessendorff Target Foundation Houston Pi Beta Phi Foundation KPMG 21 2015 Gala Back to the 80’s Nearly 500 guests traveled back in time to celebrate the 80’s during the Museum’s annual gala, held on October 24, 2015, at Silver Street Studios. Chaired by Carmen and Butch Mach and Courtney and Bill Toomey, the event raised $100,000,000 for the Museum’s outreach efforts in low-income areas. 35th Anniversary Jill Faucetta and Ewing King, Julie and Rob Goytia, Presenting Sponsor DeeDee and Aaron Howes, Dawn and Chris Krieg, Phillips 66 Kim and Randy Petersen, Ashley and Al Pratka, Millette and Haag Sherman, Stephanie and Brian Sauer, Lucky Stars Christie and Mark Sullivan Carrie and John Vallone Laura and John Arnold Gulf Coast Automotive In Support of Free Heartbreakers JP Morgan Chase Family Programming Elva and Truett Akin KPMG Julie and Drew Alexander Tammie and Barry Kahn, Greatest Loves of All Leslie and Jack Blanton, Pamela and Ed Laborde Presenting Sponsor Jr. Family Virginia and BB&T/Courtney and Bill Toomey Pam and Stephen Daniel Lee Lahourcade Pam and Jimmy Erwin Lovett Homes Karma Chameleons Goldman Sachs Catherine and Matt Matthews H-E-B Lauren and Brad Morgan Gala Chairs Butch and Carmen Mach Nancy Allen, Chinhui and Eddie Allen, Laurie and Julie and Alan Kent Amy and Zeph Moss, Winifred Courtney and Bill Toomey Randy Allen Dottie and Dr. Robert and Nicholas Phillips Anadarko Petroleum McCallister Katherine and Paul Murphy Corporation Reliant, an NRG Company Franci Neely The Astros Foundation, Sarah* and David Pesikoff Crane World Wide, Sweet Child O’ Mine (*In loving memory) The Round Up Charlotte Christman Kathryn and Richard Rabinow Foundation and Paolo Sheaffer Ron Carter Autoland Kathrine G. McGovern Service Corporation Thrillers International Little Red Corvettes Action Gypsum Smith and Elie Families Champion Energy Services Alisa and Mike Anabella and Saul Solomon, The Mach Family Absmeier, Debbie and Berkeley Research Group, Lisa and Josh Oren Kent Chenevert, LLC Jacquelyn and Collin Cox, Sarah and Duncan Underwood Underwriting Chairs Garrett and Breakfast Clubbers Jennifer and Chris LaPorte, Kara Wortham Insurance & Risk Geoff and Shelley Bracken and Dax Sanders Management Krystal Thompson Lisa and Michael Bank of America Holthouse/Holthouse Baywood Crossing 80’s Lounge Sponsor Foundation for Kids Rehabilitation & Health Bridge Children’s Hospital Healthcare Center Material Girls Shanna and Eric Bass Valet Sponsor Jennifer and Lance Gilliam Mollie and Dan Castaneda Arch-Con Corporation Janiece and Stephen Lasher Viviana and David Denechaud, The Kayser Foundation, Christie and Billy McCartney Special Thanks Locke Lord LLP, The Jeff B. Diamond Offshore Drilling Deutsch and Deutsch and Katherine B. Love Carolyn and Chris Dorros Foundation Ed’s Precision Glen Gonzalez and Manufacturing, LLC Steve Summers, Evergreen Environmental Melissa and Michael ExxonMobil Official Airline of the Children’s Museum of Houston Mithoff, Mithoff Family First American Title Foundation Flint Hills Resources

2016 Fort Bend Spring Brunch Chaired by Debbie Fash, Rachel Leaman, and Charlene Pate, the 13th Annual Fort Bend Spring Brunch Hats, Gloves, Boutonnieres, raised over $16,000 for educational outreach programming in Fort Bend County. Underwriter Benefactors Evelyn Wendt Moore Charlene Pate Charlotte Christman Vona Morefield Margaret Dickson Parminder Munday Patron Doris Gurecky Null Design Partners Valerie and Sam Golden Frances Harmon Tamara Osina The Jakubik Family Pat Hebert Beverly and Jim Postl Rachel Leaman Mary Ann Hermes Gail Roy Janet Incerto Marina Saleri Friends Sandy Kelly Debbie Fash Dee Koch Special Thanks Delores (Dee) Hinkle Knile Center Susie and Doug Goff Manmeet Likhari Makkela Johnson Development Chairs Rachel Leaman, Charlene Westin Homes Julia Mickum Corporation Pate and Debbie Fash Leslie Miller

2015 Gala Back to the 80’s 2016 Friends and Families Luncheon Nearly 500 guests traveled back in time to celebrate the 80’s during the Museum’s annual gala, held on October 24, 2015, at Silver Street Studios. Chaired by Chaired by Divya Brown and Candace Thomas, the 2016 Friends and Families Luncheon was held at River Oaks Country Club on March 2, 2016. Guests enjoyed Carmen and Butch Mach and Courtney and Bill Toomey, the event raised $100,000,000 for the Museum’s outreach efforts in low-income areas. Keynote Speaker Michelle Lee, who leads the Design for Play Team at IDEO Toy Lab, an integrated team of researchers, designers, and developers. She shared the importance of play and its potential to bring delight and engagement not only to young children, but to people of all ages. The luncheon raised over $110,000 for the Museum’s educational outreach and programming. Benefactors Monica and Greg Meeks Individual Patrons BB&T/Courtney and Bill Toomey Melissa and Michael Mithoff Elizabeth Abraham Burguieres Family Foundation Rishma Mohamed Maryam Afshari Khreibani Gina Gaston Elie, Kelli Cohen Fein, Shanell Moody, Jennifer Bhardwaj Kim Petersen, Millette Sherman, Shahreen Rafique Hanna Isabel David Tiffany Smith Lauren and Brad Morgan Liz Glanville Kathryn Rabinow Northern Trust/Brian Thomas Kerri Lynn Inglesby Reliant, an NRG Company Parents of the Post Oak School Caroline Harper Knapp Rakesh and Shonali Agrawal, Maria Lowrey Patrons Payal Chana, Christina Cantu, Catherine Matthews Kristen Berger, Kristy Junco Bradshaw, Blair and Amy Garrou, Henry Richardson Carolyn Dorros Allison Hamilton, Richard Hess, Melinda Spaulding Gala Chairs Butch and Carmen Mach Genna Evans, Mary Elizabeth Sand Rochelle Tafolla, Kelly Janzen, Phoebe Tudor Courtney and Bill Toomey Dr. Barbara Samuels Stelli Parsapour, Nikayla Thomas Dr. Lori van Veldhoven Chairs Windsor Village UMC Kasteena Parikh Real Estate Joanne Wilson - Live West U Candace Thomas and Friends Charlene Pate Divya Brown The Aga Khan Council for River Oaks Baptist School Southwestern United States Ellen Simmons, Winnie Simmons, Elva and Truett Akin Christie Sullivan Julie and Drew Alexander Krystal and Garrett Thompson Joan and Stanford Alexander Dena and Christopher Winkler Bank of Texas Lyndsey Zorich Bonne Vie School Charlotte Christman Individual Benefactors Dr. Kelly Coleman John Bradshaw, Jr. Donae Cangelosi Chramosta, Divya and Chris Brown Shikha Gubta, Anika Jackson, Lyndsy Calato Underwriting Chairs Garrett and Mandy Kao, Gina Li, Nevin Noorani, Yvonne Cormier Krystal Thompson Vanitha Pothuri, Mechelle Tran Lacey and Matthew Goossen Frost Bank Kristi and John D. Schiller, Jr. Tammie and Barry Kahn Anita Smith Molly LaFauci Sarah and Duncan Underwood Shelli and Steve Lindley Milessa Muchmore Lowrie

2016 Spring Golf Classic On Tuesday, April 12, 2016, the Children’s Museum of Houston held its 2016 Spring Golf Classic at Memorial Park Golf Course. With 84 golfers in attendance, the tournament raised over $60,000 in support of the Museum’s free admissions programs. A special thanks to our event Chairs Allison and Geoff Leach. 2016 Fort Bend Spring Brunch Ace Par Allison and Geoff Leach BB&T/Courtney and Chaired by Debbie Fash, Rachel Leaman, and Charlene Pate, the 13th Annual Fort Bend Spring Brunch Hats, Gloves, Boutonnieres, raised over $16,000 for Bill Toomey Hole Sponsor educational outreach programming in Fort Bend County. Eagle Buckley, White, Bud Light/Silver Laurie and Randy Castenda & Howell LLP Eagle Distributors Underwriter Benefactors Evelyn Wendt Moore Allen–The Green Tree Fund Lou Black Charlotte Christman Charlene Pate Charlotte Christman Vona Morefield Jeff Cross GDF Suez Energy Margaret Dickson Parminder Munday Birdie Jacquelyn and Collin Cox Thad Hill Patron Doris Gurecky Null Design Partners Shelley and Geoff Bracken John W. Donovan, Jr. Lauren and Brad Morgan Valerie and Sam Golden Frances Harmon Tamara Osina Sylvia and Titus Harris Harvey Builders Sysco Corporation The Jakubik Family Pat Hebert Beverly and Jim Postl Krystal and Garrett Brock Hudson Teton Strategic Rachel Leaman Mary Ann Hermes Gail Roy Thompson Duncan K. Underwood Investments, Inc. Janet Incerto Marina Saleri Chairs Allison and Geoff Leach Kimberly and Trey Wilkinson Friends Sandy Kelly Debbie Fash Dee Koch Special Thanks Delores (Dee) Hinkle Knile Center Susie and Doug Goff Manmeet Likhari Makkela Johnson Development Chairs Rachel Leaman, Charlene Westin Homes Julia Mickum Corporation Pate and Debbie Fash Leslie Miller

23 The Children’s Museum of Houston served 817,000 children, parents, caregivers and educators onsite at the Mary Gibbs Jones building during the 2015–16 fiscal year (July 1, 2015–June 30, 2016), providing access to thirteen exhibit galleries, an on-site branch of the Houston Public Library, a performing arts series, and programming that changes weekly. Additional impacts were achieved through programming facilitated for children, parents and other caregivers at locations across the Greater Houston area 2016 RESULTS in collaboration with 280+ partners – including schools, community centers, places of worship, afterschool centers, shelters and libraries. This programming recorded a cumulative attendance of 329,600 individuals during the fiscal year, for a total attendance of 1.15 million served at the Museum and all outreach locations. Our audience is representative of the Houston community—filled with people of many ethnicities, diverse

cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds, to whom we provide access to impactful

family learning experiences that are customizable to their individual interests and needs.

Service to Low-Income Families With 45% of children in Harris County living in low-income households and more than 27% of children living below the federal poverty line (Children at Risk, 2014–2016), CMH realizes the importance of reaching those most in need of educational opportunities. CMH engages low-income families by providing free and reduced-fee admissions to 64% of our visitors (through our 870+ Open Doors community partners and our designated free days and times) and free community-based programs to another 329,600 individuals.

Visitor Demographics CMH serves one of the most socioeconomically and culturally diverse populations in the county. Our Museum visitorship this past year was 47% Hispanic/Latino, 23% African-American, 21% Anglo, 8% Asian, and 1% other, while our visitors during free times were 55% Hispanic, 26% African-American, 12% Anglo, 6% Asian, and 1% other.

Finances The total operating revenue and releases from restrictions for the 2015–2016 fiscal year totaled $15,021,719. Total expenses for the same time period were $13,838,606. Year-end net assets totaled $42,477,606.