April 14, 2020 UPDATE
Throughout the past few weeks of the COVID-19 crisis, we have been keeping up-to-date and complying with the local and state mandates and guidelines. As of today, the Museum will remain closed until further notice.
Our Story Garden is also closed for everyone’s safety. Although Ross Park remains open for walks and fresh air, all of the fun places to play in the Story Garden are off limits so that everyone can remain healthy.
And even though the doors to the Museum and classrooms remain closed, we have thoroughly cleaned and disinfected the entire building so we will be ready to reopen when the time comes. We have been working diligently to procure some of the funding being offered so that we can have some surprises for you when we reopen.
March 17, 2020 UPDATE:
The Discovery Center has been closely following guidance from the CDC, New York State and Broome County regarding COVID-19.
At this time, The Discovery Center has decided the best course of action for the public health is to close the Museum effective immediately. We will continue to monitor the situation and expect to reopen on April 14, 2020. Please know that the well-being of our visitors, staff, volunteers, and our community is our top priority.
Please note: Our preschool and Kids Club school-age programs are still running.
March 15, 2020 UPDATE:
In light of Governor Cuomo’s announcement regarding a 50% decrease in attendance of events, The Discovery Center has made the difficult decision to cancel all upcoming events held at the Museum through April 14. As of now, the Museum will continue to remain open to the public and we have taken the following steps to ensure that all of our visitors have a happy, safe, and fun experience:
- Tissue boxes, trash receptacles, and hand sanitizer dispensers have been added to numerous locations throughout the Museum.
- We are continuously disinfecting counters, door knobs, exhibit spaces, and toys.
- We will be limiting the number of visitors at any given time to the Museum to ensure that our visitors have plenty of space to move and explore safely.
During weekdays, our Commons Cafe will not be available because we will be offering full-day programming to children normally enrolled in our afterschool program. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but it is important to us that families that come to us for childcare services will be able to rely on us for care with the recent school closures.
We are committed to following public policy. The Discovery Center adheres to the safety procedures and protocols recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Association of Children’s Museums. We are also working closely with our community partners to stay informed and adopt best practices where appropriate.
Please know that The Discovery Center has always had strong health and hygiene protocols in place. Our staff has been instructed to let us know if they are not feeling well as soon as possible so they can stay home. If you are thinking about visiting, but don’t feel 100%, we want you to stay home and visit once you are feeling better.
We will continue to provide information on Facebook and our website with any changes we make in order to offer you and your family a happy, safe, and fun experience.
March 8, 2020
The Discovery Center wants all visitors to be safe and remain healthy and able to focus on play and learning fun while in the Museum.
With recent news revolving around the Coronavirus, we are taking special precautions and ramping up our already robust cleaning and sanitation procedures. We’re increasing the frequency in which we clean and sanitize our exhibits, in addition to maintaining our nightly deep cleaning schedule.
Additional hand sanitizers have been added to the Museum as well as bins provided in the exhibits for removing items that need to be sanitized.
Here are ways to help keep everyone healthy:
- Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If not available – use hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching eyes, mouth or nose with unwashed hands.
- Avoid contact with people who are sick.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue and dispose of it after coughing or sneezing. The crook of your arm can also be used.
- Stay home when you are sick. We ask that if your child is sick and home from school, then they are also too sick to visit the museum.
