The Treehouse Story :
- Open since 1992, Treehouse Children's Museum is truly a treasure for the children and families of Northern Utah. With its award-winning exhibits and programs, Treehouse is the place where children can step into a story. And, it is a valuable resource to teachers and parents who are striving to help their children grow into life-long readers.
- Treehouse's Mission
- Treehouse Museum serves children and families by providing interactive, hands-on exhibits and programs focusing on family literacy, children's literature, the arts, and the humanities. Treehouse seeks to be the magical place where children "Step into a Story."™
Adopted by the Treehouse Children's Museum Steering Committee, December 12, 1991. Updated and approved annually by the Board of Directors, most recently in January 2008.
Treehouse Children's Museum in Ogden, Utah has a unique focus on family literacy. Treehouse exhibits invite children, parents, and school children to step physically into the world of stories and books. Its interactive exhibits and programs promote the development and practice of vital emerging literacy and reading skills. Recognizing that there are many kinds of literacy -- from geographic to computer literacy -- and that children need a variety of ways in which to respond to stories, including music, theater and imaginative play, Treehouse offerings are diverse and yet unified by our mission.
- History
- Treehouse Children’s Museum was founded in 1992 by a group of parents, educators and business leaders who wanted to create a facility for families that would also be a resource for area schools.The new museum incorporated as a private, nonprofit organization on January 25, 1990 and was called the Ogden Discovery Center. In 1991, “Treehouse” was approved as the operating name for the facility. The name became an integral part of the final exhibit design and provided a unifying, storybook feel to the whole space when a giant treehouse was built at the center of the Museum. In January of 1992 the Board approved the addition of “Children’s Museum” to the name, to better describe and define both the focus and the audience of the facility. The Museum’s name was legally changed to Treehouse Children’s Museum in 1999.
With donations from our founding donors, the Dr. W. C. Swanson Family Foundation, other local foundations, individuals, and the owners of the Ogden City Mall, who provided 10,000 square feet of free space, the Museum became a reality on February 29, 1992 to the cheers of thousands of children and adults who attended the opening ceremonies. Treehouse’s space was completely filled with exhibits that were unique and beautiful invitations to explore and play with language and literacy. During its nearly ten years in the Ogden City Mall, Treehouse expanded its exhibit space twice, eventually filling more than 20,000 square feet with exhibits. These expansions were funded by grants and donations and helped to keep the Museum interesting and always new for area children and families. In December 2001, when the Ogden City Mall was closed for demolition, Treehouse moved with the help of an army of community volunteers to a new home in a building that was formerly the home of the local newspaper. The Treehouse was closed for only three weeks and reopened on December 26, 2001.
From 2002 through 2006, Treehouse staff and volunteers raised $6 million to build a permanent home for the Museum. Ogden City provided the Museum with a grant for the purchase of land in the Mall Redevelopment project and construction began on May 9, 2005. Contributions to help with the relocation came from all over our community, evidence of the deep roots the Museum has grown and the service it provides. School children in the local districts raised more than $8,000 through a “Quarters for Treehouse’s New Quarters” campaign to help build Treehouse’s new facility. More than 4,000 individuals, foundations and corporations contributed funds for the new building. General Contractor Big-D Construction and dozens of subcontractors contributed in-kind with donations of time and materials. The final piece of the puzzle was provided by the Stewart Education Foundation, who contributed a naming gift, and the new Elizabeth Stewart Treehouse Museum opened to thousands of jubilant visitors on August 19, 2006. Treehouse welcomed more than 120,000 visitors in the first year in the new building, and membership now includes nearly 5,000 member children.
Treehouse received General Operating Support Awards from the Institute of Museum and Library Services in 1998 and 2002 and received a “Museums Across America” Grant from IMLS in July of 2005. In February 2002 Treehouse was named one of the top 50 children’s museums in the nation by Child Magazine. The Museum’s youth volunteer program received the Utah State Outstanding Nonprofit Volunteer Program Award in 2000 and recently the Museum received the Karen J. Ashton Award for its ongoing efforts to promote family literacy.
- Meet the Treehouse Board of Trustees
- Treehouse Museum is a private, nonprofit educational organization and is governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees from the Community. Currently 24 Board Members serve by establishing Museum policies and ensuring the financial stability of the Museum. These dedicated parents, grandparents, educators, and business leaders are committed to helping Treehouse remain a great place for children, families, and schools.
- Board terms are three years and nominations are accepted by the Board Nominating Committee. If you are interested in serving on the Treehouse Board, please contact our Director or a member of the Board.
- Current Board Members
- Dr. Eric Amsel
- Shirley Atkinson
- Jeff Barlow, Secretary/Treasurer
- Dr. Donna Burdett
- Sylvia Cobabe, Chair
- Dr. Donna Corby
- Raelene Critchlow
- Joyce Foley
- Kim Hall, Vice-Chair
- Robert Herman
- Mitzi Kawaguchi
- Marlisa Lund
- Beth Maughan
- Dr. Brent Minnoch
- Stephanie Moore
- Meg Naisbitt
- Dave Pierson
- Ken Reich
- Phyllis Savage
- Pamela Schvaneveldt
- Dr. Spencer Seager
- Erin Taggart
- Cheri Walker
- Catherine Zublin
- Updated 3/22/2010
- Meet the Treehouse Staff
- Treehouse staff members are a great group of talented and zany folks with two things in common: they love working with children and they love stories! Many of our staff started as visitors to the Museum when they were young, volunteered through our Teens at Treehouse program, and then were hired as paid staff. Most positions at Treehouse are part-time. To be hired you must be sixteen years or older, complete an application (click here to download an employment application), and have a successful interview.
- The Treehouse Senior Staff
- Executive Director: Lynne H. Goodwin ext. 101
- Operations Coordinator: Casey Allen ext. 102
- Programs Coordinator: Wes Whitby ext. 104
- Exhibit Coordinator: David Hobbs
- Communications Coordinator: Alisa Allen ext. 107
- Early Childhood Coordinator: Spencer Cobabe ext. 106
- Education Coordinator: Holli C. Rackham ext. 109
- Volunteer Coordinator: Gwen Skeen ext. 112
- Exhibit and Program Staff
- Gina Adamson
- Mikayla Bowers
- Sarah Dosier
- Katie Forsberg
- Michelle Johnson
- Sarah Knadle
- Julie Knight
- Emma Larson
- Karen Montgomery
- Melissa Norseth
- Heather Protzman
- Christina Rackham
- Kaylyn Rackham
- Laura Schvaneveldt
- Monique Scoville
- Brenon Severe
- Shellsey Stephens
- Christina Stoner
- Courtnee Summers
- Lindsay Williams
- Exhibit Team:
- Website Design/Maintenence:
- Museum Maintenence :
- Updated 9/2/2010
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- Employment Application
- Press Room
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