Value Spotlight: Community
Value Spotlight: Community
CMTM has 5 core values: belonging, play, community, curiosity, and trust.
Each month, we are shining a light on a different core value and the how and why behind its significance to our organization and the people that make up our CMTM community.
This month, we are taking a closer look at Community.
Community as a CORE VALUE
How do we define community as a value?
We center community in all we do. We strive to be an inclusive partner and resource in order to build strong, lasting relationships.
Value Spotlight: Community
At the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine (CMTM), our foundation is community, helping to support and uplift children and families across Maine and beyond.
Nurturing Connections and Building Relationships
Community at CMTM goes beyond being a physical space; it's about people, stories shared, partnerships built, and individuals impacted. This focus is deeply intertwined with our value of belonging, as we aim to honor and celebrate the unique perspectives, identities, and experiences within our broader community. Our commitment is both systemic and relationship-focused, striving to enhance practices both within and beyond CMTM. We work diligently to improve physical, linguistic, and programmatic accessibility, fostering inclusive connections among community members and groups while providing essential resources for all.
The goal is to be both a window and a mirror—reflecting the diversity of the communities we serve and offering a space where children and families can learn about and celebrate differences. We prioritize sharing these stories widely to engage the community and inspire philanthropic support. Through storytelling, we highlight the positive impact of our programs on individuals, families, and the broader community. By connecting the experiences of young people, we strengthen our relationships with the current CMTM community and expand our reach to new audiences.
Strategic Initiatives for Community Engagement
As part of our commitment to community, we are focused on sharing our work and vision broadly, while also listening to and integrating feedback and research. This includes creating a long-term strategy for revenue growth that attracts new funders aligned with our mission of supporting families and advancing early childhood education. Additionally, we are working toward sharing our insights and innovations to help propel our field forward both in play-based learning and social-emotional learning.
A Foundation of Support and Education
We strive to be an indispensable resource for children's continued development and learning. By working together with parents, caregivers, and diverse partners, we build a foundation of educational support that spans across Maine and beyond. Our new 30,000 sq. ft. facility at Thompson’s Point, equipped with state-of-the-art amenities, enables us to engage visitors in areas such as STEM, arts and culture, and performing and visual arts.
Community as a Core Value
Community is not just a word at CMTM; it's a core value that guides our actions and decisions. It was noted as a priority over 60 times in our recent community survey, underscoring its importance to our members and visitors. We are committed to being a place where everyone feels welcomed and valued, and we continue to work towards strengthening our community ties.
Through these efforts, CMTM is more than just a Museum & Theatre; it's a place where community comes alive, where stories are shared, and where lifelong relationships are formed. We look forward to continuing this journey with you, our valued community members, as we work together to create a supportive and enriching environment for all children and families.
About CMTM’s Strategic Plan
In the fall of 2022, CMTM embarked on a year-long journey to realign our mission, values, and priorities with our new building and begin to paint the picture of who we want to be for ourselves, our visitors, and the community—today and tomorrow. The CMTM board and entire staff devoted themselves to two retreats—one in the summer and one in the fall—as well as hundreds of hours of discussion and work groups to contemplate and define our priorities and plan for the future. We also sought community feedback through focus groups comprised of children, caregivers, corporate and foundational partners, educators, advisory councils, and community leaders. Additionally, a community-wide survey garnered more than 300 responses.
Drawing upon insights from all these stakeholders and guided by our strategic planning team at Reflector Lab, our partners in this process, CMTM crafted a revised mission statement, values, and strategic plan to steer our path for the next three years and beyond.
Our refined mission states: “At the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine, we set the stage for every child to imagine and learn through play.” With this adjusted mission that honors both sides of our organization (the museum and theatre), we are committed to ensuring that every child, irrespective of their abilities or financial circumstances, can visit, play, and experience love, recognition, and celebration within our institution’s embrace.
We look forward to sharing details of the strategic plan and digging deeper into our values in the months ahead.
