The Madison Children’s Museum has increased its efforts for its access to Access to Everyone program by no longer requiring verification for the families to qualify for discounted memberships.
Full priced memberships range from $90 for two people to $150 for a family of six, and daily admission costs $7.95 for adults and children over one year old. The museum has been offering subsidized “Access” memberships for as low as $10 for qualifying families who are part of or receive assistance from a variety of programs such as Foodshare/Quest, free or reduced lunch, Section 8 and the YWCA, but in the past families have been asked to verify their involvement in qualifying programs — which could be awkward or embarrassing.
“In looking at ‘why are we asking for the documentation,’ we don’t do anything with it, we realized we were caught up in a myth of misuse,” said Sandra Bonnici, the museum’s associate director of education, diversity and inclusion.
“We really understand that the weight of shame that we place as a society on people receiving any kind of assistance is so heavy that it is just a myth,” said Bonnici.
MCM also recognized that the process overall was inequitable.
“If anyone else getting a membership doesn’t have to prove anything or go through an extra step, then we’re unfairly burdening our Access members,” said Bonnici.
In some cases requiring members to prove their need made the process less inclusive, Bonnici said.
For example, many of the access memberships verified their need using their Quest card, but reimplementation of work requirements caused thousands to lose those cards. Consequently, many families using Access memberships at MCM still needed the assistance, despite no longer qualifying for Quest benefits.
Though the families are no longer requested to prove their need for assistance, membership applications still ask them to specify what programs or organizations they involved in to be responsive to member needs — they just don’t need to prove it. The membership form simply allows applicants to check the boxes that apply to them.
The museum was already offering $1 per person admissions for families that qualified for the access program without a verification requirement.
Twenty percent of the museum’s overall memberships are access memberships, Bonnici said.
Memberships include admission to the museum, discounts on MCM purchases, discounts on event rentals for things like birthday parties, and invitations to free special events.
The museum also has plans to expand their Access memberships to include a special membership for first time parents this summer.
