Jack Graham, center, executive director of the FLIP Museum, and Elsa Young (third from right), an early childhood education specialist at NWRESD, were recognized by NWRESD’s board of directors at the Sept. 10 meeting. Photo by Tracey Goldner. 

When the Oregon Children’s Museum shuttered in 2021, families were left with fewer fun outings with their kids. 

That’s when Jack Graham took action. Believing that children deserve more hands-on, safe places to explore with their peers, he launched a mobile children’s museum. He named the museum FLIP, after his daughter, who earned the nickname in childhood because of her love of flips and jumps. 

Fast forward to 2025, and the FLIP Museum is now a brick-and-mortar museum in downtown Hillsboro and a robust mobile museum. Our agency got involved a few years ago after Elsa Young, a teacher whose speciality is working with babies and toddlers with disabilities, started volunteering with the museum. 

She and former FLIP co-executive director Melissa Hong planned mobile museum days in Hillsboro parks in 2024, and dozens of families attended. Several children who receive Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education Services have also had the chance to explore the museum alongside their families and our specialists. 

These opportunities give parents and caregivers the chance to try new activities with their kids and learn specific strategies for teaching them new skills, including learning new words, making new motions with their bodies or playing with a new toy. 

“Whether a child is motivated to stand while catching scarves from the wind tunnel, stacking giant blocks, or repeating a new action word they’ve just heard at the train table, each activity supports development in a way that honors every child’s unique pace and style,” Elsa says. 

In addition to various park-based outings and museum visits, the group has also extended discounts to families and participated in NWRESD-sponsored events like the annual Harvest Fest family event held in Hillsboro. 

Jack Graham says he is looking forward to continuing this partnership. “We need fun and play, and we need more places where educators and families can go to have that in their lives,” he says. With the rise of screens, he says hands-on opportunities to explore together have become even more vital. 

Additionally, he understands that not every family can pay the entrance fee, and he’s committed to making the experience accessible to as many families as possible. Starting this year, the FLIP Museum is offering free entry to any family who visits the museum with their NWRESD service provider. 

NWRESD’s board of directors recognized Jack Graham and the FLIP Museum at its Sept. 10 board meeting.