Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo Youth Programs
Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo, 1451 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301
About
Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo Youth Programs include Super Family Sundays, JMZ Summer Camps, Science With a Twist – After School Program, Next Gen JMZ: Science Internships, the Science Outreach Program, Friends’ Animal Encounters, animal encounters throughout the day, and an educational field trip to Baylands. Children can experience many hands-on exhibits about science and nature, and the zoo offers chances to interact with native and exotic rescue animals in an open environment, including animal encounters where a child might feed a flamingo or see a bald eagle up close.
• Ages: 0–9 years old
• Schedule: One year of programming or funding is specified for Super Family Sundays, JMZ Summer Camp Scholarships, Science With a Twist – After School Program (all 5 locations), Next Gen JMZ: Science Internships, and the Science Outreach Program
• Price: Corporate Sponsorship Levels: Bronze $2,000+; Silver $10,000+; Gold $20,000+; Platinum $50,000+; Super Family Sundays – $15,000 – One year of programming; JMZ Summer Camp Scholarships – $30,000 – One year of funding; Science With a Twist – After School Program – $33,000 – One year of funding – funds all 5 locations; Next Gen JMZ: Science Internships – $40,000 – One year of funding; Science Outreach Program – $105,000 – One year of funding; General Operations – Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo – $2,000+
The Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo was founded in 1934 and has been operating for more than 90 years. The Science Outreach Program for the Ravenswood City School District was established in 1999, and Super Family Sundays was established in 2010. The facility reopened to the public in November 2021 after more than a decade of planning, fundraising, and construction.
The Friends’ mission is to expand access to nature and science education through community engagement and support of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo. The Friends is a non-profit organization that works to support the museum and zoo and is committed to programs that keep it accessible regardless of physical or cognitive ability or the ability to pay admission. The Friends and the City of Palo Alto state that they strive to provide an equitable and meaningful experience to visitors of all communities, backgrounds, and abilities, and the JMZ values diversity of cultures, races and ethnicities, countries of origin, ability levels, religions, and gender expressions.
Super Family Sundays are events open to families with children with all types of disabilities and provide a calm, nurturing and positive environment for these children and their families. During the redesign of the museum and zoo, Super Family Sundays participants provided feedback and support that was used in making the new facility accessible, and the new and enhanced facility offers greater accessibility for children of all abilities. The Friends continues to fund Super Family Sundays for families with children with disabilities.
The JMZ’s summer camps allow children to explore their interests in a fun and relaxed environment and focus on different science topics that supplement STEM education while school is not in session. The JMZ offers camps to up to 30 local students every year, including transportation and post-camp for children who would not otherwise be able to attend. “Science with a Twist” is a free after-school program offered to elementary-school children in the East Palo Alto community and is aimed at providing equitable access to science outside of the classroom.
Next Gen JMZ: Science Internships funds three paid internships and fellowships annually, and individuals who are traditionally underrepresented in the museum field are actively recruited to apply. The Science Outreach program was developed in 1999 to address inequalities in STEM education between Ravenswood and neighboring public school districts and delivers approximately 500 lessons and an educational field trip to Baylands to over 1,600 elementary school children. The curriculum of the Science Outreach program is designed to ignite a love of science and lay the foundation for success in middle school and high school science and math.
The Friends raised $25 million to rebuild the museum and zoo, including a $15 million matching grant from the Peery Foundation and $10 million in private donations from local donors. Highlights of the Friends’ Annual Report include longstanding initiatives like JMZ Science Outreach in underserved schools and Super Family Sundays, as well as new programs like Friends’ Animal Encounters.
Last updated April 3, 2026.
• Ages: 0–9 years old
• Schedule: One year of programming or funding is specified for Super Family Sundays, JMZ Summer Camp Scholarships, Science With a Twist – After School Program (all 5 locations), Next Gen JMZ: Science Internships, and the Science Outreach Program
• Price: Corporate Sponsorship Levels: Bronze $2,000+; Silver $10,000+; Gold $20,000+; Platinum $50,000+; Super Family Sundays – $15,000 – One year of programming; JMZ Summer Camp Scholarships – $30,000 – One year of funding; Science With a Twist – After School Program – $33,000 – One year of funding – funds all 5 locations; Next Gen JMZ: Science Internships – $40,000 – One year of funding; Science Outreach Program – $105,000 – One year of funding; General Operations – Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo – $2,000+
The Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo was founded in 1934 and has been operating for more than 90 years. The Science Outreach Program for the Ravenswood City School District was established in 1999, and Super Family Sundays was established in 2010. The facility reopened to the public in November 2021 after more than a decade of planning, fundraising, and construction.
The Friends’ mission is to expand access to nature and science education through community engagement and support of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo. The Friends is a non-profit organization that works to support the museum and zoo and is committed to programs that keep it accessible regardless of physical or cognitive ability or the ability to pay admission. The Friends and the City of Palo Alto state that they strive to provide an equitable and meaningful experience to visitors of all communities, backgrounds, and abilities, and the JMZ values diversity of cultures, races and ethnicities, countries of origin, ability levels, religions, and gender expressions.
Super Family Sundays are events open to families with children with all types of disabilities and provide a calm, nurturing and positive environment for these children and their families. During the redesign of the museum and zoo, Super Family Sundays participants provided feedback and support that was used in making the new facility accessible, and the new and enhanced facility offers greater accessibility for children of all abilities. The Friends continues to fund Super Family Sundays for families with children with disabilities.
The JMZ’s summer camps allow children to explore their interests in a fun and relaxed environment and focus on different science topics that supplement STEM education while school is not in session. The JMZ offers camps to up to 30 local students every year, including transportation and post-camp for children who would not otherwise be able to attend. “Science with a Twist” is a free after-school program offered to elementary-school children in the East Palo Alto community and is aimed at providing equitable access to science outside of the classroom.
Next Gen JMZ: Science Internships funds three paid internships and fellowships annually, and individuals who are traditionally underrepresented in the museum field are actively recruited to apply. The Science Outreach program was developed in 1999 to address inequalities in STEM education between Ravenswood and neighboring public school districts and delivers approximately 500 lessons and an educational field trip to Baylands to over 1,600 elementary school children. The curriculum of the Science Outreach program is designed to ignite a love of science and lay the foundation for success in middle school and high school science and math.
The Friends raised $25 million to rebuild the museum and zoo, including a $15 million matching grant from the Peery Foundation and $10 million in private donations from local donors. Highlights of the Friends’ Annual Report include longstanding initiatives like JMZ Science Outreach in underserved schools and Super Family Sundays, as well as new programs like Friends’ Animal Encounters.
Last updated April 3, 2026.
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