Summer: The Founding Board of Directors establishes the Modesto Children’s Museum nonprofit organization and begins exploring potential locations for the future museum. The founding board is composed of Katie and Jacob Barber, Jenavieve and Ryan Brady, and Chelsea and Ryan Foy. The group conducts a feasibility study online to gauge support for the project, garnering thousands of responses.

Spring: Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with children unable to attend school, the children’s museum distributed free STEAM activity kits to youth in the community. The museum provided this service to the general public, while also providing a number of kits to Sierra Vista Child and Family Services. Later in the year kits were also donated to the Boys and Girls Club of Stanislaus County.

Winter: The Modesto Children’s Museum’s offer was accepted to purchase a building at 928 11th Street in Downtown Modesto. (Formerly the Fat Cat performing arts venue, the location was in more recent years operated by The House church under the name Heart and Soul Coffee Shop.) Fundraising begins for a capital campaign to launch the museum in this location.

Spring: MoChiMu takes ownership of the building in downtown Modesto. Through a generous donation via the Stanislaus Community Foundation from three local families, the Museum is able to secure a down payment for the building purchase and procure a loan from Valley First Credit Union.

In the first 6 months of quietly raising funds, MoChiMu has received commitments of $2.3 million towards a capital campaign goal of $7.5 million. Early supporters include The Barber Family, The Endsley Family Foundation, The Boyett Family Foundation, The Olson Family Fund, The Porges Family Foundation, The Filippi Family, and The Kolody Family.

Summer: Gyroscope Inc., based in Oakland, CA is hired to design exhibitry for the museum. Studio Ludo, based in Philadelphia, PA is hired to design a world-class climbing structure. Carol E. Scott is brought on as a consulting director. Additionally, the board of directors expands from six founding members to a group of 11, including Diana Avalos, Amy Abid Jeffries, Rosizela Pérez Jordan, Ashley Kipple, and Ivey Mayol.

Our pop-up learning shop was a favorite at the Downtown Modesto Farmers Market, providing not only a wide array of educational toys but activity kits to keep children busy during summer months or learning at home due to the pandemic. One kit, teaching principles of engineering, encouraged children to use the kit materials to build creative structures of varying heights and shapes. A second kit focused on art techniques, provided children with paints, pens, and a variety of blank palettes to create their masterpieces.

Fall: Another addition to our education outreach efforts has been the Imagination Playground. This life-sized set of soft building blocks has been hugely popular among children at events like DoMo First Fridays, Family Day at the Park, and more. Children have the chance to work collaboratively, engineer and build structures, problem solve, and explore new ideas while they play. We love seeing our community's children interact and learn!

Winter: Modesto's own Patty Hill Thomas has come on to oversee project management as we build the physical space for the Modesto Children's Museum. Patty's work as Stanislaus County's COO has been integral to Modesto, particularly her work as Project Manager for significant building projects and efforts, including the Gallo Center for the Arts and the 10th Street Place Stanislaus County & City of Modesto Government Center.

Spring: Gyroscope Inc. completed the conceptual phase of the museum design, and we began searching for exhibit fabricators. Board members attended the annual Association of Children’s Museum’s conference in St. Louis. After a rigorous search, we selected kubik maltbie, based in Mount Laurel, NJ, to fabricate the majority of the exhibits in the museum. Additionally, we selected Boss Display, based in Columbus, OH, to fabricate our air and water exhibits.

Summer: After 18 months of privately fundraising, MoChiMu has raised nearly all of its $7.5 million dollar private capital campaign goal. On August 13th, 2022, we kicked off our public capital campaign “Launch The Adventure… Make It Happen” with a family friendly event in downtown Modesto, right in front of the museum’s building on 11th Street. With a public goal of $1.5 million dollars, the museum looks ahead to building renovations and exhibit fabrication, with a grand opening planned for mid 2023. The Board of Directors expands to 13 members, adding Laura Byrd Gutierrez and Patty Ramirez.

Winter: Modesto Children's Museum breaks ground on building construction for their 11,000 square foot, state-of-the-art educational space for children. The building, located at 928 11th Street in Downtown Modesto (previously the Fat Cat Music House), will be under construction through early 2023. General Contracting services have been secured with Simile Construction.