Free museum program expands to all students, not just BPS
The program provides free admission to school-aged children in Boston at nine local museums and zoos on the first and second Sundays of each month.
December 6, 2024
The city’s free museum program has been expanded to include all school-aged children in Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu announced Wednesday.
Boston Family Days builds upon the Boston Public Schools Sundays program, which has served more than 44,000 attendees and given BPS students and their families free access to several cultural institutions throughout Boston, according to a statement from the mayor’s office.
“To expand this opportunity to as many young people in our community as possible, we are overjoyed to welcome all Boston school-aged children and their families to utilize Boston Family Days,” Wu said in the statement. “Through exploration in these world-class cultural institutions, we hope to nurture curiosity and encourage lifelong learning in our city.”
Starting in January and running through December 2026, on the first and second Sundays of each month, every student that lives in Boston and is enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12 or Boston Pre-K will get free admission along with up to two guests at nine local museums and zoos.
BPS students — as well as students in home schooling, independent Boston charter schools, Boston based parochial and independent schools, METCO, or those who live in Boston but attend private school outside the city — can participate in the program.
In addition to the eligibility changes, three new institutions were added to the list: the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, and the Museum of African American History. The other participating sites are Boston Children’s Museum, the Franklin Park Zoo, the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Science, and the New England Aquarium.
Following the initial launch of the program in February, 41% of visitors at the Boston Children’s Museum were new, the mayor’s office reported. At the Institute of Contemporary Art, 55% of visitors had never been before, the release said.
The two-year program expansion is supported by the city and partners including Amazon, Barbara and Amos Hostetter, Barr Foundation, Bob and Michelle Atchinson, and Jim and Cathy Stone.
Families must sign up for the program with the city to participate, and can provide their contact information to be notified once sign ups open later this month. Children enrolled in Boston Public Schools or Boston Pre-K are automatically signed up.
“As a young person, having access to local arts institutions gave me the tools to dream, create, and understand the world around me in a new way,” said Kara Elliott-Ortega, Boston’s chief of arts and culture, in the statement. “Expanding this program to reach even more students and additional institutions is a crucial step to making the arts a vital part of every young person’s journey.”