The Children’s Museum of Tacoma will participate this summer in Blue Star Museums, a partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, and more than 1,300 museums across America to offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2011. Leadership support has been provided by MetLife Foundation through Blue Star Families. The complete list of participating museums is available at http://www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums .

“Participation in Blue Star Museums is one more way the museum can make sure it’s accessible to families in our community,” said Tanya Andrews, executive director of the Children’s Museum of Tacoma. “We are particularly proud to be serving the many military families in the south Puget Sound region.” The museum hosted 60,000 people over the last year, of which nearly 45 percent visited the museum for free through one of its many access programs. When the museum opens its new facility at 1501 Pacific Avenue on Jan. 14, 2012, it will become a “Pay As You Will” admission museum.

For more information, please visit http://www.ChildrensMuseumofTacoma.org .