Boston Children's Museum Receives National Leadership Grant for Museums Award From IMLS

Boston Children’s Museum is pleased to announce that it has received a National Leadership Grant for Museums award from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The grant will be used to create the Countdown to Kindergarten Exhibit, a dynamic, innovative public space where parents and educators can see quality early childhood education in action and work together to prepare children for school. The largest museum and library joint grant program administered by IMLS, National Leadership Grants support projects that will advance the ability of museums and libraries to preserve culture, heritage, and knowledge while enhancing learning.

A key supporter of Boston Children’s Museum’s efforts to create the Countdown to Kindergarten Exhibit has been Senator Edward M. Kennedy. A long time champion of early education for young children and the importance of school readiness, Kennedy learned of the Museum’s ideas for the Countdown to Kindergarten Exhibit and offered to support the funding of the early design work. His support made it possible for the Museum to build the exhibit funded by IMLS.

“Senator Kennedy commends Boston Children’s Museum for its longstanding leadership in early childhood education,” said Melissa Wagoner, spokesperson for Senator Kennedy. “He strongly supports the Countdown to Kindergarten Exhibit as a highly promising initiative to prepare young children more effectively for success in school and in life.”

The Countdown to Kindergarten Exhibit is one aspect of Boston’s citywide Thrive in Five initiative, a 10-year effort that aligns families, educators, health care and human service providers, the private sector, and city departments – working in collaboration with state agencies – to ensure that all children will be ready for sustained school success. It also helps fulfill two components (Ready Families and Ready Educators) of Boston’s new school readiness equation:

READY FAMILIES + READY EDUCATORS + READY SYSTEMS + READY CITY = CHILDREN READY FOR SUSTAINED SCHOOL SUCCESS

“This innovative permanent exhibit at Boston Children's Museum will be a vital part of Thrive in Five,” Mayor Thomas M. Menino said. “The Museum will ensure Ready Families by providing a model classroom for parents to see what top-notch early care and education looks like as well as promote Ready Educators by bringing together staff from the many early education settings in Boston to strengthen their work with our youngest children. I applaud our partners at the Museum for their commitment and innovation.”

The United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley and other community partners are collaborating with the City of Boston on the Thrive in Five initiative.

“One goal of Thrive in Five is to ensure young children enter school ready to learn by giving their parents the resources they need to prepare their children for kindergarten,” said Michael K. Durkin, president and chief executive officer at United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley. “This new exhibit is a fun, creative example of the power our community has when we come together and leverage our resources in the name of a common goal.”

The new Countdown to Kindergarten Exhibit at Boston Children’s Museum will be a 1500-square-foot model classroom created to support parents as first teachers, equip them to understand the curriculum of kindergarten and other types of early childhood education, and help them be effective advocates for their children in school. It will expand the efforts of the annual Countdown to Kindergarten Celebration to a yearlong mission to promote school readiness.

“We are excited that IMLS has recognized Boston Children’s Museum’s commitment to school readiness,” said Lou Casagrande, president and chief executive officer of the Museum. “Just as the annual Countdown to Kindergarten Celebration prepares Boston’s kids to start school, we believe that the new Countdown to Kindergarten Exhibit will help parents and kids prepare for school all year long.”

Through funding from agencies such as IMLS, Boston Children’s Museum will continue to be a leader in the fields of children’s museums and early childhood education.