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Cool Culture’s Family Pass is a card that offers eligible families free and unlimited general admission for up to 5 people (children and adults) to 90 partner cultural institutions for one year! Families present their current Family Pass upon entry. The specific museum, botanical garden, or zoo may ask for a photo ID of the pass holder that matches the name on the Family Pass; the Passes are non-transferable.
The Family Pass covers general admission for regular exhibits. There may be extra fees for special exhibits and activities. Please call the museum if you’re unsure about any ticketing questions.
Families must sign up through their school or childcare programs who are enrolled with Cool Culture. We do not offer individual Family Pass sign up.
Cool Culture partners with early education programs for a one year period. Early enrollment is open from June to September – this period ensures that your families will be able to register for and get Family Passes by November! Final enrollment is in October and November, with those Family Passes distributed the following January and March. Find the enrollment form for DOE schools here and for child care centers here. (As of October 14, 2022, we reached capacity for child care center enrollment and are not accepting new centers’ applications for the 2022-2023 program year. Public schools are still eligible to apply through November.)
We work exclusively with early childhood programs in underserved communities: child care, Head Start, Universal Pre-K programs, and select Title I public schools. Please review program eligibility for DOE schools here and for early child care centers here. At this time, Family Day Care programs are not eligible for enrollment.
Your center or school’s appointed Cultural Liaison (often the parent coordinator in a school) will hold Family Pass registration periods from October 3, 2022 through February 3, 2023 with guidance from Cool Culture. Participating programs are provided registration materials for families. See the specific timelines for family pass registration for centers here and for schools here.
Depending on the time of the year, replacement requests may be submitted during one of Cool Culture’s Family Pass Registration periods from October 3, 2022 through February 3, 2023. In the meantime, a Loaner Pass may be provided until a customized Family Pass can be printed.
Visit our Cultural Partner Visitation Portal to browse nearly 90 museums, botanical gardens, zoos and more by borough! You’ll find admissions details and links to their websites to get their most updated safety guidelines and ticketing information. You can also check out the Cool Culture Family Guide for tips on using the Family Pass!
Museums and other cultural partners sign an agreement with Cool Culture to offer our families free and unlimited general admission to their regular exhibits. (Special events or exhibitions might have fees – always check with the specific cultural partner first!) The network is offered to early childhood audiences, as this has historically been one of the most under-represented groups when it comes to diversity, access, and inclusion at cultural institutions.
Not all cultural spaces in NYC agree to partner with Cool Culture. To access museums outside our network, you may want to try booking free tickets through your library card’s Culture Pass. Some museums and cultural spaces also offer free admission on certain days/times or may offer free admission for EBT card holders.
Please email our Program Manager Tra Nguyen (tnguyen@coolculture.org) and Program Assistant Annallyce Rodriguez-Thomas (arodriguezthomas@coolculture.org) for invoicing questions.
Similar to your school or center, Cool Culture was also impacted by staffing and transitions during the pandemic. Thank you for your understanding as we work through our communication backlog and improve our systems for the coming year.
Year-round Seminars and Dialogues for and with educators whose schools and centers are enrolled in the Family Pass Program help them to harness arts and culture to support the wellbeing of families. Art viewing, art making, and discussions guide you in cultivating family engagement in the arts and at your school. We partner with colleagues from partner museums, art galleries, and arts education organizations in each session. Activity sheets and other resources are shared with all enrolled educators.
Resources from our Curators for Educators sessions are available to enrolled educators in an online folder. They include presentations, session recordings, and museum activity sheets. Please email family@coolculture.org for the link!
Cool Culture’s Family Pass is offered through our partner early childcare centers and public schools. It offers one year of free, unlimited general admission to participating cultural institutions. The Family Pass also allows up to 5 family members per visit.
The NYC Culture Pass is offered through the public library system for card holders ages 13 and older. Card holders are limited to one admissions reservation per cultural institution per calendar year.
Please email us at info@coolculture.org
Quarterly email for the entire Cool Culture
community with news on programs, partners,
and events.
* All fields need to be filled out to submit
Quarterly email for the entire Cool Culture community with news on programs, partners, and events.
* All fields need to be filled out to submit
Monthly email for Cool Culture families with spotlights
on cultural institution partners and updates on museum
programs.
* All fields need to be filled out to submit
Monthly email for Cool Culture families with spotlights on cultural institution partners and updates on museum programs.
* All fields need to be filled out to submit
To amplify the voices of families and strengthen the power of historically marginalized communities through engagement with art and culture, both within cultural institutions and beyond.
To amplify the voices of families and strengthen the power of historically marginalized communities through engagement with art and culture, both within cultural institutions and beyond.