The dupage children's museum will strengthen its experiential learning environment by upgrading key exhibits to enhance functionality and hands-on learning opportunities for visitors

The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded the DuPage Children's Museum $1,225,122 on September 1, 2026, under the Museums for America program (CFDA 45.301) to strengthen its experiential learning environment through phased revitalization of exhibit components.

The museum will develop, design, fabricate, and install new exhibit components and multilingual signage across 8,000 square feet of first-floor gallery space, focusing on thematic areas centered on creativity and energy. The in-house exhibits team will collaborate with other staff to conduct formative evaluation during prototyping and summative evaluation after completion of each updated space. Families and members will participate in focus groups and prototype testing to provide feedback guiding refinement of exhibit concepts prior to full production. The project will serve children ages 0–10 and their caregivers from a seven-county area surrounding Chicago.

The award runs through August 31, 2029, with place of performance in Naperville, Illinois. Museums for America supports museums of all sizes in strategic, project-based efforts serving the public through exhibitions, educational programs, digital resources, professional development, and collections stewardship. Successful applications address a key institutional strategic goal, reflect thorough understanding of current practice, and generate measurable results tied directly to identified needs or challenges.

In response to community feedback, the museum will conduct a phased revitalization of exhibit components in existing thematic areas that focus on creativity and energy. The in-house exhibits team will work with other staff to develop, design, fabricate, and install new exhibit components and multilingual signage across 8,000 square feet of space in first-floor galleries. Families and members will participate in focus groups and prototype testing to provide feedback and observations to guide the refinement of exhibit concepts prior to full production. The museum will conduct formative evaluation during prototyping and summative evaluation after each updated space is completed. The project will primarily benefit children ages 0-10 and their caregivers from a seven-county area surrounding chicago.