Mission & History

Our Mission

It is our mission to encourage enthusiasm about learning in a hands-on environment that opens the world to even the youngest child.

We know how important play is to learning. Through play, children develop skills, express creativity, discover the larger world and learn to work with others. A resource in the Southern California community since 1977, The Children’s Museum at La Habra is an award winning, non-profit public museum that provides unique, hands-on educational and cultural experiences to young children ages 2 to 8.

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Our History

The Children's Museum at La Habra opened in December 1977 and is located in a historic 1923 Train Depot. The Children's Museum at La Habra was 1 of only a few such museums open on the West Coast during the 1970s.

An interactive, enrichment center that stimulates the imagination, The Children's Museum at La Habra annually provides 95,000 children, their parents and teachers with 10,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits about the arts, sciences, other cultures and everyday life. Through the power of play, children are able to increase their sensory/motor interaction, art, science math, English literacy, creativity and analytical skills. The Museum also provides outreach activities to disadvantaged children that include free school tours and classroom visits, community festivals, family workshops and educational programs - all designed to enable children to learn through exploration, interaction and play!

The Museum features 7 hands-on galleries, many of which remain unique to the field today. In addition to these exhibits, an outdoor dinosaur garden and historic 1942 caboose, the Museum features an exhibit which changes two times a year. The Children's Museum welcomes local, national and international visitors. Children can ride a kid-size carousel, take a walk in T-Rex's footprints, pump gas, drive a bus, dress up and perform, and dig for fossils all in one afternoon!

We appreciate the commitment and support from the City of La Habra, Friends of the Children's Museum, Board of Directors, Museum Staff, Museum Guild, Advisory Board, Docents, Volunteers and Donors who work hard to help ensure the long-term continuity of the Children's Museum at La Habra.