By J.D. O’Gara

A place children can discover, imagine, and grow, through play and exploration – closer to home. The Children’s Museum of Franklin, an idea sparked by Franklin Moms Erin Gallagher and Meg Hagen, is gaining momentum. The newly approved 501 c3 nonprofit aims to, eventually, secure a permanent location in downtown Franklin. Even without a location, however, the children’s museum is planning a pop-up museum to be held on a bi-weekly basis in the new year in Franklin and surrounding towns. 

“Once we acquire a permanent space, we’ll build exhibits for children aged 10 and under, with classroom and lab space for additional programming, STEM programming for elementary and middle school-aged kids, and leadership/internship opportunities for high school and college students,” says Hagen.

The idea for the children’s museum began, say the founders, as a shared dream.

“Meg and I were at a mutual friend’s house for brunch in June, talking about the Davis Thayer location as our original dream location,” says Gallagher, “We laughed about it, but when we left, we said, ‘Let’s really do this.’ Between us, Meg and I have five young kids, all seven years and younger. We are pursuing this with the goal of creating a common space for kids to learn andplay both for our children and their peers—a spot where people can build community and foster connections, and really grow together. Having raised kids, especially through the pandemic, so many of our kids lost out on connection. This is an opportunity to bring that back.”

The closest children’s museums, about 45 minutes away, routinely draw patrons from an hour away. A Children’s Museum in the heart of town “would increase the vitality of the downtown and the pull of the community,” says Hagen. Drawing families to “the downtown space would support the local economy and local businesses. We want to give back to the town.”

Both women, who’ve previously worked together as founding members of local support group Franklin Area Moms, already make supporting the town a priority.

Erin, a mom of three young children with a marketing and communications background, is currently Franklin Area Moms President. She also serves on the Franklin School Committee, is a member of the Franklin Master Plan Committee and is a volunteer foster care case reviewer for the Department of Children and Families. 

Meg, a native of Raynham with a doctorate in pharmacy who lived five years abroad in Australia before settling in Franklin, holds a seat on the Franklin Conservation Commission and the Franklin Master Plan Committee. In the last several years, Meg has also taught preschool at the Franklin Children’s School on top of being a mom to two young sons.

Facilitating Franklin Area Moms “gave us a sense of running a nonprofit, working with boards, building a network, and building a community,” says Meg, “A lot of our mission and vision includes working in partnership and collaboration throughout the community.” The two have enlisted elementary and early childhood education consultants for their board to design what the children’s museum will look like, as well as an occupational therapist to ensure that space is inclusive for children of all abilities and sensory needs. In their planning process, they’ve sought feedback from various members of Town Council and officials from the Town, Dean College, and Franklin Public Schools.

Although exhibit space will be designed for 10 and under, The Children’s Museum of Franklin plans to offer clubs and programming through middle school, perhaps even supplementing an area of need. “School budget issues have come up in one of the areas they had to cut for the time being – the funding for middle school clubs. We would love to be able to offer some programming for those gaps,” says Erin. One of the first programs they’re planning to roll out will be “Lean in Girls,” which aims to empower young girls as they transition from middle school years into high school..

A lack of space isn’t stopping the two. The partners have looked to Tri-county Regional Vocational Technical High School carpentry students to build mobile exhibits for their pop-up Indoor Mobile Museum at different venues around town.

“They’re building these really cool car ramps,” says Erin, “The students are really excited that what they’re building is going to make a lasting impact on the community.”

The Children’s Museum of Franklin has the following Pop-Up Indoor Mobile Museum events planned, with more to come:

• January 21, 2023, Franklin Elks, 1-4 p.m., 1077 Pond St., Franklin

• February 10, 2023, Downtown Sports, 3-6 p.m., 240 Cottage St, Franklin

• February 19, 2023, Downtown Sports, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., 240 Cottage St., Franklin

Of course, fundraising will be essential to making this dream happen, and the duo have a four-part strategy that includes:

• A Founding Families program: Those local families that provide a minimum $1,000 donation will be featured permanently on Children’s Museum of Franklin website and later, in the future permanent space.

• Grassroots fundraising: The Children’s Museum will host various fundraising events, such as a gala dinner coming up in late February, early March.

• Corporate Fundraising: Hagen and Gallagher will reach out to potential corporate funders.

• Grants: Now that the Children’s Museum of Franklin is an official 501 c3 nonprofit, the founders can apply for grants on the state and federal level, as well as to various foundations, depending on the space it finds.

To learn more or to become involved, visit the Children’s Museum of Franklin’s website,

Childrensmuseumfranklin.org, as well as their Facebook and Instagram pages.