Mission: To provide visitors the opportunity, in a fun and entertaining environment, to practice developing skills necessary in identifying and achieving dreams and aspirations. The new "kid-powered" museum offers 80,000 square feet of play space and exhibits. The facility's safe and enjoyable adventures are designed in collaboration with Walt Disney Imagineering to help children develop attitudes and techniques for setting goals and moving toward these goals with foresight, optimism, imagination, curiosity, energy and initiative.

Latest accomplishment: Attendance numbers during first 45 days of operation have exceeded expectations. Since the Dec. 29 grand opening, the museum has welcomed more than 55,000 visitors.

On the horizon: Opening in late May is the exhibition "Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street." Families will be able to step into one of the world's most famous television neighborhoods and go hands-on with activities that until now could only be watched on television. Produced by Strong Museum in Rochester, N.Y., in collaboration with the Children's Television Workshop.

About the museum: Membership: 4,000. Attendance: 55,000 in first 45 days. Operating budget: $6.2 million.

Where and when: 35 Market Place -- located in the historic Fishmarket Building, two blocks north of Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. Call 410-727-8120.

Douglas L. Becker, chairman of the board of directors: "Attendance in the first six weeks has completely surpassed our expectations, and that gives me great confidence that the museum is being embraced by the community as a place for families to help kids learn about themselves and their surroundings."

Board members

Eric Becker

Winifred C. Borden

M. J. Brodie

Michael Bronfein

William Couper

B. J. Cowie

Anne L. Farge Culman

James P. Daly Jr.

Robert E. Gabrys

Dennis J. Garrett

Stephen A. Geppi

Jody Grass

Mary Graul

Perrin M. Grayson

Delaphine S. Henson

Beth J. Kaplan

Clarke Langrall Jr.

Gay Garth Legg

Mark Lerner

Traci Lerner

Marjorie Magner

David Modell

Jonathan P. Myers

Arthur D. Perschetz

Mark Pollak

John W. Sasser

Thomas Schweizer Jr.

Sharon Seagren

Janet Marie Smith

Michael Zimmer