What U.S. industry sees more than 55 million K-12 students come through its doors every year? MUSEUMS!
According to the American Alliance of Museums, 55 million students visit museums each year through school-trips alone. In addition, more than 75% of museum educational budgeting is spent on K-12 education (American Alliance of Museums 2024). This captive audience can be capitalized on through collaborations with colleges and universities, specifically with a focus on promoting public health. Beyond K-12 education, museums offer a large value to public health, including awareness around disease prevention and surveying the public about their perceptions and concerns surrounding healthcare (Behera and Roy 2018).
Children’s museums, specifically, are dynamic spaces that are designed to engage young people, promote critical thinking and creativity through hands-on activities and interactive exhibits. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, children’s museums have begun new partnerships with a variety of community partners including, government agencies, and social and health organizations. Surprisingly, one underutilized collaborator is colleges and universities. In a 2023 trend report by the Association of Children’s Museums, museums reported their frequency with various collaborators and universities were named less than 50 times, with the highest ranked category garnering a total of 150 times (Association of Children’s Museums 2023).
In the 2023 Understanding Museums’ Collaboration Goals ACM Trends Report, museum leaders reported the goals for collaboration, these goals were then grouped into three primary categories: healing, learning and community. This report indicated that universities were only identified in the learning category as collaborators (Association of Children’s Museums 2023). Partnerships with college and universities offer a unique opportunity to leverage the expertise of researchers, educators and students to support the development of programs that emphasize health and wellness across all three primary goals.
Healing
Increasing Community Health & Wellbeing
Focusing on public health, these collaborations can educate young people, their schools, families, and communities on a variety of topics tailored to their community’s needs. Through exhibits and collaborative educational programs, young people can learn about healthy eating, nutrition, exercise, proper hygiene, disease spread and prevention. Public health and other health related faculty can work alongside museum leaders to identify the issues facing the community in an effort to ensure programs are meeting the needs to the community at large.
Tackling Community or Social Issues
College students and educators can serve as mentors and offer support groups for a variety of issues. Peer support groups and mentor-mentee meet ups held at the museum can break down communication barriers while providing children with a consistent support system. Peer support programs focused on children with chronic illnesses or disabilities, children with autism-spectrum disorder, children of military families, or even those interested in a certain career field, can serve as a professional development tool for the college students while also supporting the goals of the museum and the children.
Addressing Traumatic and Tragic Event
Youth mental health and wellbeing is a major public health concern for the United States. According to the CDC (2024), homicide and suicide are the #2 and #3 leading cause of death among adolescents in the United States. Creating safe spaces for children is not something that can be developed by a single entity. Museums can work with college and universities to offer educational sessions about recent events, which can be led by faculty and students who have experience in the area or stories to share. In addition, students can host hands-on interactive sessions as a form of art therapy, where students can express themselves through a variety of mediums.
Learning
Enhancing Formal / Informal Education
Colleges and universities can utilize these partnerships to research and validate the effectiveness of educational programs being offered. Through this data collection they can refine, improve and expand these programs over time, therefore furthering the reach and impact to the public. This also ensures that the resources being allocated for projects are being maximized and evaluated regularly.
Through offering training and professional development for museum staff and other local educators and hosting events which equip them with skills, knowledge and the confidence to deliver public health content, colleges and universities can empower museums to deliver high-quality programming to the students that visit daily.
Developing Virtual Programming
Colleges are no stranger to offering high level educational programs on virtual platforms. Most institutions offer online courses or programs, especially in the wake of Covid-19. In addition, ongoing advances in technology in healthcare presents a unique opportunity to educate children in virtual healthcare settings through the use of augmented reality and virtual reality. Colleges and universities can offer professional development and provide guidance on moving programming to virtual spaces. Students specializing in health science, computer programming, digital media and design and computer science can work alongside museum leadership to assist in the logistics needed to design user-friendly programming that is engaging to children.
Developing In-Person Exhibits / Programs
Museum leaders can invite educators to provide professional insight into exhibits to ensure they are relevant and updated based on current trends and research. College faculty can also work with students to develop and offer educational workshops or long-standing exhibits. Students can work with museums leaders and faculty to tailor these workshops based on the needs of the community.
Community
Reaching New Audiences
Colleges and universities partner with local schools to offer informational sessions and recruit students to attend their institutions. By working collaboratively, museum and college leaders could expand their outreach by connecting schools and communities with each other. Utilizing pre-existing relationships to promote museum programs, exhibits and educational offerings, will help drive traffic to the museum, as well as expanding partnerships with other community partners such as health systems and non-profit organizations. In turn, promoting the college or university at the museum through programming and exhibits will also advertise their commitment to education, specifically around science and health. It will also showcase the expertise and experiences that their students and faculty possess.
Reaching Traditionally Underserved Audiences
Museum leaders can work with college students to assist in outreach efforts to underserved audiences. Through shared collaborations with local non-profit agencies, students can assist in letter-writing campaigns, community service events and community health fairs. College faculty and students can partner with the museum to bring the museum to the classroom and offer educational programs at schools and community centers where transportation may be a barrier to access.
Conclusion
As museum leaders begin to focus and develop their programming framework on the three primary areas of collaboration, I challenge them to work alongside colleges and universities to support these goals. Colleges and universities around the country see record high interest in public health degrees, developing longstanding partnerships can prove to be mutually beneficial and have the potential to have long-term impacts on the community (Leider et al. 2023).
By working together, universities and museums, have the potential to not only elevate their collaboration goals, but also educate young people and promote healthy habits and a public health mindset. If universities and museums strengthen their collaboration across all three goals and work to ensure learning is fun and accessible, we can empower children to take ownership of their health and the health of those around them.
About the Contributor
Trish Lemmerman, Ed.D, MPH
School of Pharmacy and Health Services, Fairleigh Dickinson University
www.linkedin.com/in/patricialemmerman | www.fdu.edu/fdu-health/
Trish Lemmerman, Ed.D, MPH has worked in higher education for over 17+ years. Through her experience she has worked with both undergraduate and graduate students across all fields. Over the past 8 years, she has worked alongside graduate students in the fields of pharmacy, physician assistant, occupational therapy, social work and public health. For the past year, she has also been working collaboratively with a local children’s science museum, Liberty Science Center, to offer educational programming, mentorship opportunities, and bridge the gap between higher education and children’s museums.
Liberty Science Center is a 300,000 square foot learning center located in Jersey City, New Jersey,. It is home to 12 exhibition halls, a live animal collection with 110 species, giant aquariums, a 3D theater, live simulcast surgeries, hurricane- and tornado-force wind simulators, K-12 classrooms and labs, teacher-development programs, and the Western Hemisphere’s biggest planetarium—the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium and LSC Giant Dome Theater.
Data for this report was collected through a search of available literature. This research was supported by the Institute for Museum and Library Services.
The world is designed for mobile media, including smartphones and tablets, and young children are already using these tools in a range of settings. This ACM Trends report summarizes what is currently known about the ubiquity of mobile media in young children’s lives, including the caregivers’ decisions about their children’s use. We end with a consideration of how children’s museums might take advantage of current uses. This report builds on ACM Trends 7.1, which explored general principles of digital media that supports powerful learning.
This report is based on a review of the research literature. We read dozens of empirical reports and peer-reviewed articles about early childhood media use, from university researchers and organizations like Sesame Workshop, PBS KIDS, Common Sense Media, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the Fred Rogers Institute, and the American Association of Pediatrics. One challenge in reviewing this research is a lack of consensus definitions. That means we took a broad view and included any research about media content for young children delivered over the internet, from synchronous digital programming and live video calls to games and apps.
Data for this report was collected through a review of existing literature. This research was supported by the Institute for Museum and Library Services.
When designed well, virtual programming and online experiences can facilitate meaningful learning moments in early childhood.
This ACM Trends report focuses on these digital media as one educational tool in the museum toolkit. Several well-regarded early childhood organizations have endorsed particular uses of media even for very young children, and we explore the principles and the research behind them before turning to criteria that can help identify when media is the right tool. ACM Trends 7.2 will build on this report by looking at empirical questions that must inform design: how often children use media, which children use media, and where children use media.
This Trends report reviews the research findings and concludes with practical advice for children’s museums seeking to design meaningful digital media experiences for young children.
Data for this report comes from two surveys. That pertaining to children’s museums’ collaborations with libraries was collected through the Spring 2023 ACM Member Collaborations survey. The dataset contains information from 59 member institutions. Data on library collaborations with museums was collected through a NILPPA survey of US libraries conducted in 2022. This dataset contains information from 314 libraries. Research for both of these projects is supported by the Institute for Museum and Library Services (Grant #s: MG-251839-
OMS-22; MG-80-19-0042-19; LG-250153-OLS-21).
Libraries and museums have a shared mission as sites of informal learning.
Both museums and libraries are in the process of expanding the ways they serve their communities, going beyond informal learning to become sites for convening, health and wellness, and other community needs. As their roles change, there are new opportunities for museum-library partnerships. To help children’s museums leverage their existing library partnerships (or form new ones) in support of newly emerging goals, this Trends Report offers a library centered perspective on what makes partnerships effective. What are libraries looking for in a prospective community partner? What do they value in their collaborative relationships? And what are new ways children’s museums can work with libraries to support broader community goals?
The survey also offered insights into the goals children’s museums are pursuing through collaboration. Though varying considerably, museums’ collaborative goals are connected to three broadly shared aims: (1) healing; (2) learning; (3) community. In what follows, we discuss how these findings can help children’s museums understand, approach, and evaluate collaborative work. Our hope is that sharing this information will not only stimulate dialogue around collaboration and partnership, but also help children’s museum leaders plan new collaborative programs and begin the process of building relationships with new partners.
To address these questions, we explore findings from two recent IMLS-funded field-wide surveys: (1) the Spring 2023 ACM Member Collaborations Survey (whose results we discussed in ACM Trends Report 6.3); (2) a 2022 survey conducted by Knology and the American Library Association’s Public Programs Office (ALA PPO) as part of an IMLS-funded project called “National Impact of Library Public Programs Assessment” (NILPPA.org). Both surveys included questions about collaborative programming, and their results offer insights into how libraries and children’s museums can expand and strengthen their partnerships in support of shared institutional and community goals.
Data for this report comes from two surveys. That pertaining to children’s museums’ collaborations with libraries was collected through the Spring 2023 ACM Member Collaborations survey. The dataset contains information from 59 member institutions. Data on library collaborations with museums was collected through a NILPPA survey of US libraries conducted in 2022. This dataset contains information from 314 libraries. Research for both of these projects is supported by the Institute for Museum and Library Services (Grant #s: MG-251839-
OMS-22; MG-80-19-0042-19; LG-250153-OLS-21).
Libraries and museums have a shared mission as sites of informal learning.
Both museums and libraries are in the process of expanding the ways they serve their communities, going beyond informal learning to become sites for convening, health and wellness, and other community needs. As their roles change, there are new opportunities for museum-library partnerships. To help children’s museums leverage their existing library partnerships (or form new ones) in support of newly emerging goals, this Trends Report offers a library centered perspective on what makes partnerships effective. What are libraries looking for in a prospective community partner? What do they value in their collaborative relationships? And what are new ways children’s museums can work with libraries to support broader community goals?
The survey also offered insights into the goals children’s museums are pursuing through collaboration. Though varying considerably, museums’ collaborative goals are connected to three broadly shared aims: (1) healing; (2) learning; (3) community. In what follows, we discuss how these findings can help children’s museums understand, approach, and evaluate collaborative work. Our hope is that sharing this information will not only stimulate dialogue around collaboration and partnership, but also help children’s museum leaders plan new collaborative programs and begin the process of building relationships with new partners.
To address these questions, we explore findings from two recent IMLS-funded field-wide surveys: (1) the Spring 2023 ACM Member Collaborations Survey (whose results we discussed in ACM Trends Report 6.3); (2) a 2022 survey conducted by Knology and the American Library Association’s Public Programs Office (ALA PPO) as part of an IMLS-funded project called “National Impact of Library Public Programs Assessment” (NILPPA.org). Both surveys included questions about collaborative programming, and their results offer insights into how libraries and children’s museums can expand and strengthen their partnerships in support of shared institutional and community goals.
Nickelodeon today announced the return of its global Worldwide Day of Play (WWDoP) campaign, in partnership with the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM). Worldwide Day of Play will take place Sept. 30, 2023. Part of Nickelodeon’s Our World, a brand-new global initiative, with the goal of inspiring kids and helping to provide them with tools to strengthen their individual and collective agency. To date, events are planned by children’s museums and other organizations across the U.S., the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and more.
“Through Worldwide Day of Play, Nickelodeon has fueled a generation who values playing and being active,” said Jean Margaret Smith, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, Nickelodeon. “The Association of Children’s Museums is the perfect partner to help us mark the return of this beloved annual event as an anchor program for the Our World initiative, allowing us to showcase the importance of play and the role it can play in building confidence and helping to upskill kids around the globe.”
“Play is a powerful experience that enriches people’s lives in museums, schools, homes, and beyond,” states Arthur G. Affleck, III, executive director of the Association of Children’s Museums. “ACM is pleased to partner with Nickelodeon to amplify the importance of play on wellbeing and healthy brain development, and to make learning more effective and joyful for children and adults. As children’s museums, we believe in the power of play and we strive to nurture more play and playful learning to enrich the lives of children everywhere.”
The Association of Children’s Museums, an Our World coalition member, is partnering with Nickelodeon to bring Worldwide Day of Play activations to affiliates around the globe on September 30th, reaching more than 1.8 million kids and caregivers. Museums participating in Worldwide Day of Play have the opportunity to feature custom Nickelodeon activities that help highlight the importance and transformative power of active play. Participating ACM locations will also feature a varied array of activities, including Mess Fest! at Sacramento Children’s Museum, Play Fair! at Children’s Museum Curacao, Toys and Games from Franklin’s Early Days at the Franklin Area Historical Society (OH), and Slime Time at the Schoolhouse Children’s Museum (FL). Families can check www.childrensmuseums.org/dayofplay/ for information on activities going on in their city, town or area.
In addition to partnering with ACM to host grassroots events globally, Nickelodeon will begin rolling out messaging encouraging kids and families to get up and get active this Worldwide Day of Play (Sept. 30) across its linear, social and digital platforms Thursday, Sept. 29. Kids and families can also visit www.childrensmuseums.org/dayofplay to get tips on ways to celebrate play and access toolkits to help plan their own WWDoP activities. Additionally, Nickelodeon has teamed up with Our World partner Aspen Institute to create the “Worldwide Day of Play Playbook” that amplifies youth voices and demonstrates how play can be a powerful tool in skill building.
Worldwide Day of Play is part of Nickelodeon’s global Our World initiative and is centered in the brand’s longstanding commitment to promoting active play and healthy lifestyles. Since its 2004 inception, thousands of WWDoP events have been held across the U.S., and in Argentina, Colombia, Belgium, Mexico, Brazil, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Poland, Germany, Italy, Russia and more. Additionally, more than $3 million in grants and scholarships have been awarded to national and local organizations to promote active play.
About Association of Children’s Museums (ACM)
ACM is the foremost professional society supporting children’s museums in developing rich environments that stimulate children’s natural playfulness, curiosity, and creativity. With more than 470 members in all 50 states and in 16 countries, ACM champions children’s museums and together enrich the lives of children worldwide. As a global leader, advocate, and resource for the field, ACM and our member organizations strive to build a better world for children and serve over 30 million visitors annually. Started in 1962, ACM recently marked its 60th year of impactful service to children, families, and children’s museums.”
About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 44th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The brand includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, location-based experiences, publishing and feature films. For more information or artwork, visit www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon is a part of Paramount’s (Nasdaq: PARA, PARAA) global portfolio of multimedia entertainment brands.
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Data for this report was collected through a Spring 2023 ACM member survey on collaborations. The dataset contains information from 59 member institutions. Previous pandemic-era survey data on collaborations conducted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic supported instrument sevelopment. This research was supported by the Institute for Museum and Library Services
Children’s museums are part of an ecosystem of community services designed to enrich children’s lives through the provision of informal learning experiences. That ecosystem functions best when the various institutions comprising it are working together, sharing their resources and capabilities to more effectively connect with and serve their audiences.
We saw evidence of this during the height of the pandemic. As reported in Trends Report #4.8, #4.10, and #4.11, children’s museums adapted to the constraints imposed by COVID-19 by forging partnerships with new collaborators and expanding existing collaborations. The public health crisis inspired children’s museums to join forces with an incredibly diverse array of community organizations, including formal educational institutions and health and social service providers. These collaborations led not only to new
programs, but also to broader conceptions of community service and fresh insights into how children’s museums can deliver on their mission.
This edition of the ACM Trends series provides an update on our pandemic-era research. As of Spring 2023, 95% of children’s museums have re-opened their doors, and to understand how this transition is impacting their collaborative work, we administered a survey focused explicitly on this topic. Fifty-nine ACM members completed this survey. Their responses indicate that the resumption of in-person activities has not diminished children’s museums’ eagerness for collaborating with partners across a wide range of service vectors. Moreover, just as was true at COVID-19’s peak, programs focused on health and wellbeing remain a core part of their collaborative efforts.
The survey also offered insights into the goals children’s museums are pursuing through collaboration. Though varying considerably, museums’ collaborative goals are connected to three broadly shared aims: (1) healing; (2) learning; (3) community. In what follows, we discuss how these findings can help children’s museums understand, approach, and evaluate collaborative work. Our hope is that sharing this information will not only stimulate dialogue around collaboration and partnership, but also help children’s museum leaders plan new collaborative programs and begin the process of building relationships with new partners.
