And even the book kept with the spirit of the evening: He read "Curious George's First Day of School."
Robert Townes, the museum's community advocacy director, said Stepping Stones hold free admission nights once per month — but none is as popular as the back to school one.
"This is our most popular get into free event of the year," he said. "We normally have 800 to 1,000 people at the event."
The museum's mission is to be open to all, he said, and holding a free event once per month allows the museum to reach that goal.
"We want to overcome barriers, whether they be financial, whether they are language barriers or special needs and this is one of the events that we do free of charge," Townes said. "We believe that these museum experiences and an important and necessary part of a child's upbringing."
Norwalk Reads, an organization that supports the literacy needs of the city's children, gives out free books during the event, and GE supplies drawstring backpacks, he said.
Parents can also discover information on community groups or services that they may not have been aware of, Townes said.
The museum teamed with Norwalk ACTS! for the event. That organization supports community groups throughout the city that work collectively to achieve the mission of enriching and improving the lives and futures of all Norwalk’s children from cradle to career, said the organization's Executive Director Anthony Allison.
"They want to be held accountable for better outcomes for kids," he said. "It's because of our membership that we will be successful."
Also participating in the event were Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling, state Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-25th District and state Rep. Gail Lavielle, R-143rd District.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Norwalk and receive free news updates.