Long Island Children’s Museum has been honored with the highest national recognition afforded to American museums, one which less than three percent of the country’s 30,000+ institutions can claim.  Accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) is seen as the gold standard for excellence signifying a museum’s quality and credibility as well as its deep commitment to mission and community. With this accreditation, LICM joins the elite ranks of museums and is the only Children’s Museum in New York State currently accredited.

To celebrate the accreditation and honor all who have dedicated themselves to the mission of Long Island Children’s Museum, a special ceremony will be held on Friday, March 25 at 12:30 pm to unveil a brand-new commemorative plaque installed on the museum’s façade. As part of the day’s festivities, visitors will receive free admission all day at the Museum.  Strolling performers and costumed characters will add to the day’s excitement between 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Children will also create the “Ultimate Trophy” for LICM as they add iconic childhood items – slinkies, pinwheels, rubber ducks and stickers--- to a 5-foot gold “trophy” to celebrate this museum milestone.

The Long Island Children’s Museum now joins a select group of other accredited museums including The Smithsonian, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

In announcing LICM’s accreditation, the American Alliance of Museums’ Peer Review Team noted that they would be “hard pressed to find another Children’s Museum that is more well organized, has secure future stability, is more culturally aware of their surroundings, and truly cares about not only each other, but visitors, families, and the community.”

“Accreditation is a testament to the visionaries who created the Long Island Children’s Museum in 1993, to all those who dedicated themselves over the years to ensuring this a vital destination for families, and to those who continue to carry on LICM’s mission of excellence,” said Suzanne LeBlanc, LICM President. “We are extremely honored to be included among such select and distinguished company.”

The AAM’s accreditation is the latest in a string of honors afforded LICM. Previously, the museum has received a National Medal for Museum & Library Sciences (2012) and a Neighborhood Builders Award (2010) by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, given to non-profit organizations providing critical services across the nation.

Long Island Children’s Museum is located at 11 Davis Avenue, Garden City, NY. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Museum admission: $15 for adults and children over 1 year old, $14 for seniors, FREE to museum members and children under 1 year old. Additional fees for theater and special programs may apply. For additional information, contact 516-224-5800.