Phoenix (STN) – The Children’s Museum of Phoenix is preparing for a major expansion designed to meet the evolving needs of children, families, and educators across Arizona.
During the May episode of ‘It Happens at STN,’ Children’s Museum of Phoenix President and CEO Kate Wells discussed the museum’s $23.5 million renovation project, which will transform previously unused space inside the historic Monroe School building in downtown Phoenix.
“We have 27,000 square feet of space inside our building that has never been renovated,” Wells said. “We’ve been bursting at the seams for a while now.”
The project gained momentum after the museum received $5.5 million through the City of Phoenix GO Bond program, creating what Wells described as a catalyst for broader expansion efforts.
Rather than simply adding more space, Wells said the museum approached the project by asking larger questions: What does childhood learning look like today, and what will it require in the future?
WATCH: Children’s Museum expansion aims to meet changing needs of children
To help answer those questions, the museum hosted a series of “imagining workshops” that brought together educators, parents, pediatricians, policymakers, and community stakeholders.
“We talked about childhood now, what early childhood might look like in 10 years, and even 20 years from now,” Wells said.
Those conversations reinforced a key idea that now shapes the museum’s expansion plans.
“Everyone learns differently,” Wells said. “Not just children.”
The museum is using that feedback to create spaces designed to support multiple learning styles while addressing emerging challenges facing early childhood development.
Wells acknowledged that a project of this size requires flexibility, collaboration, and openness to new ideas.
“We like to say that we play well in the sandbox with others,” she said.
That mindset has helped the organization collect ideas from across the community, including some unconventional suggestions.
“We love the weird ideas,” Wells said. “Even in the weirdest ones, there’s usually a nugget of something valuable.”
Wells also used the conversation to encourage greater community investment in early childhood education and development.
“If we don’t invest now and significantly in early childhood, we are setting up a future that is not as amazing as it could be,” she said.
