January 12, 2022 (ARLINGTON, VA)—The Board of Directors of the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) today announced Arthur Affleck as Executive Director, starting January 31, 2022. Following an extensive executive search, the Board unanimously selected Affleck to lead ACM, the world’s foremost professional society supporting and advocating on behalf of children’s museums, with more than 470 members in 50 states and 16 countries.
“We are thrilled to announce Arthur Affleck as ACM’s new leader,” said Tanya Durand, President, ACM Board of Directors, and Executive Director at Children’s Museum of Tacoma, powered by Greentrike. “ACM’s growth and development under the leadership of Laura Huerta Migus offers Arthur and the Board a wonderful foundation upon which we will build the next phase of ACM’s service to the children’s museum field and to families worldwide. Arthur brings to us impressive resource development experience, museum field savvy, and has a solid reputation as a connector and a doer. We look forward to working with him to set the most exciting vision for ACM yet.”
With considerable experience in nonprofit work and higher education, Affleck most recently served as Executive Vice President at the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), where he led an array of AAM programs and services, including membership, development, and meetings and events.
“Arthur’s vision, leadership, and many contributions to the museum field as part of AAM’s leadership team for the past five years has prepared him well for this new role,” said Laura Lott, President, AAM. “ACM and its members will grow and thrive thanks to Arthur’s dedication and talent. I could not be more pleased by his appointment.”
During his tenure at AAM, Affleck helped to secure seven-figure foundation grants to support the Alliance’s ground-breaking Facing Change—Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion Initiative. He worked to advance DEAI efforts and financial sustainability for both the Alliance and museum field, as well as to expand museums’ growing role in the Pre-K-12 education ecosystem.
“I am excited by the opportunity to serve as Executive Director of the Association of Children’s Museums and to lead the effort to champion children’s museums worldwide,” said Affleck. “At this moment in our history, we need museums more than ever—especially children’s museums. In partnership with the board and staff, we will continue to support our members and advance the field in ways that are responsive, innovative, and impactful.”
Association of Children’s Museums Announces New Roles for 2021 Term
ARLINGTON, VA (October 5, 2021)—Today, the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) announced the results of its 2021 Board of Directors Election.
Joe Hastings, Executive Director of Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was elected President Elect for the 2021-2022 term, and will serve as Board President for the 2022-2024 term.
Said Hastings, “Children’s museums are so important—now more than ever—in terms of bringing children, families, and communities together. I’m excited, proud, and honored to have the opportunity to help ACM champion children, families, and the museums that serve them.”
New officers will join ACM President Tanya Durand of Greentrike and Past President Michael Yankovich of the Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus. They include Tifferney White of Discovery Place (Vice President – Governance), Joseph Cox of the Museum of Discovery and Science and Dené Mosier of Kansas Children’s Discovery Center (Vice Presidents – Initiatives), and Putter Bert of KidsQuest Children’s Museum (Secretary). Stephanie Terry of Louis J. Koch Family Children’s Museum of Evansville was re-elected as Treasurer.
Newly joining the Board as At-Large Members for three-year terms are Crystal Bowyer of National Children’s Museum, Atiba Edwards of Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Melissa Kaiser of DISCOVERY Children’s Museum, and Felipe Peña III of Children’s Museum of Brownsville. Joanna Haas of Kentucky Science Center, Lara Litchfield-Kimber of Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum, and Carol Tang, PhD of Children’s Creativity Museum, were re-elected as At-Large Members.
Leaving the Board after years of valued service are Susan Garrard of Mississippi Children’s Museum, Jennifer Farrington of Chicago Children’s Museum, Juan Carlos Novoa of Museo Tin Marín, and Mort Sajadian, PhD, of Amazement Square.
“The ACM Board of Directors represents the children’s museum field in service of our vision of a world that honors all children,” said ACM Interim Executive Director Larry Hoffer. “We’re so proud to partner with these individuals as ACM pursues our work to champion children’s museums worldwide, and we’re tremendously grateful for their willingness to share their expertise and enthusiasm with ACM and the field at large.”
New Board President Elect:
Joe Hastings, Executive Director, Explora (Albuquerque, NM)
Joe Hastings has been the Executive Director of Explora, a hands-on learning center in Albuquerque, New Mexico since 2012. Explora is creating a cradle through career STEAM campus, adding a teen center—X Studio—and preschool—¡Brillante!—to the existing children’s museum and science center. Joe worked for thirteen years at the Exploratorium, San Francisco, in various roles including Director of the Center for Museum Partnerships. He also served as Executive Director at the Don Harrington Discovery Center in Amarillo, Texas, for five years. He is a Noyce Leadership Fellow, was a board member of the Association of Science and Technology Centers and Amarillo Habitat for Humanity, and an advisor to the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, which supported children’s museum networks in Oklahoma, Nevada, and Arkansas. On the ACM Board of Directors, he previously served as Vice President – Governance.
New At-Large Board Members:
Crystal Bowyer, President and CEO, National Children’s Museum (Washington, DC)
Crystal Bowyer has been the President and CEO of the National Children’s Museum in DC since 2017. She led all aspects of redevelopment for the Congressionally-designated museum, including advocating Congress to introduce bicameral, bipartisan legislation, The National Children’s Museum Act, in order to secure the Museum’s sustainability and future. Before coming to the National Children’s Museum, she spent a decade in arts and culture in Chicago, last serving as Director, External Affairs at the Museum of Science and Industry. Previously, she worked in government in Missouri and DC. She has been a presenter at InterActivity in 2019 and 2021, focused on capital campaigns and emerging museums.
Atiba Edwards, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Brooklyn Children’s Museum (NY)
Atiba Edwards has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum since 2019. In this role, he oversees building operations, finance and HR, visitor experience and earned income, and marketing. He is also the co-founder of FOKUS, a 501(c)3 organization that provides communities with access to the arts and arts education programming to maximize and facilitate community relationships. He previously served as Director of Operations for Uncommon New York City Charter Schools – Brooklyn Collegiate East and as a Fixed Income Investment Bank Research Analyst.
Melissa Kaiser, Chief Executive Officer, Discovery Children’s Museum (Las Vegas, NV)
Melissa Kaiser has been the CEO of Las Vegas’ Discovery Children’s Museum since 2018. Among her accomplishments since arriving at the museum are growing its total operating revenue by 18% between 2018 and 2021 through earned and contributed revenue sources, and establishing the museum’s first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Council in 2020. She has a significant background in development, serving in senior leadership roles at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and the Pennsylvania Ballet.
Felipe Peña III, Executive Director, Children’s Museum of Brownsville (TX)
Felipe Peña has been the Executive Director of the Children’s Museum of Brownsville since 2012. During his tenure he developed and implemented the strategic plan that enhanced the museum’s ability to create an impact on the community, supported education through play for children, and increased awareness of the museum throughout the region, while searching for efficiencies to reducing operational cost. He has served on ACM’s Program Committee since 2017 and has been co-chair since 2019. He also serves as a member of the Texas Collective of Small Museums and Brownsville’s Coalition of Education
A complete list of the ACM Board of Directors:
ACM Board of Directors, 2021-2022
Officers
President: Tanya Durand, Executive Director, Greentrike (Tacoma, WA)
President Elect: Joe Hastings, Executive Director, Explora (Albuquerque, NM)
Past President: Michael Yankovich, President and CEO, The Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus (CO)
Vice President – Governance: Tifferney White, Chief Learning Officer, Discovery Place (Charlotte, NC)
Vice President – Initiatives: Joseph Cox, President/CEO, Museum of Discovery and Science (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Vice President – Initiatives: Dené Mosier, President and CEO, Kansas Children’s Discovery Center (Topeka)
Treasurer: Stephanie Terry, Executive Director, Louis J. Koch Family Children’s Museum of Evansville (IN)
Secretary: Putter Bert, President and CEO, KidsQuest Children’s Museum (Bellevue, WA)
At-Large Board Members
Brenda Baker, Director of Exhibits, Madison Children’s Museum (WI)
Crystal Bowyer, President and CEO, National Children’s Museum (Washington, DC)
Leslie Bushara, Deputy Director, Education and Guest Services, Children’s Museum of Manhattan (NY)
Atiba Edwards, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Brooklyn Children’s Museum (NY)
Joanna Haas, Chief Creative Officer, Kentucky Science Center (Louisville)
Melissa Kaiser, Chief Executive Officer, DISCOVERY Children’s Museum (Las Vegas, NV
Lara Litchfield-Kimber, Executive Director, Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum (Poughkeepsie, NY)
Michael Luria, Assistant Dean of Corporate & Community Engagement at the College of Science, University of Arizona (Tucson)
Michael McHorney, Executive Director, Children’s Museum of Eau Claire (WI)
Felipe Peña III, Executive Director, Children’s Museum of Brownsville (TX)
Carol Tang, PhD, Executive Director, Children’s Creativity Museum (San Francisco, CA)
Adam Woodworth, Executive Director, The Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn (IL)
About ACM
The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) champions children’s museums worldwide. With more than 400 members in 48 states and 20 countries, ACM leverages the collective knowledge of children’s museums through convening, sharing and dissemination. Learn more at www.childrensmuseums.org.
For media inquiries, contact Alison Howard at Alison.Howard@ChildrensMuseums.org.
ARLINGTON, VA (August 5, 2021)—The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) is proud to partner with Communities for Immunity, an unprecedented collaboration among museums and libraries to boost COVID-19 information and vaccine confidence in communities across the United States.
Communities for Immunity provides funding to museums, libraries, science centers, and other cultural institutions to enhance vaccine confidence where it matters most: at the local level. Building on the many ways they have supported their communities during the pandemic, the partnership will activate museums and libraries to create and deliver evidence-driven materials and develop resources, programs, and approaches specifically designed to help these institutions engage diverse audiences in vaccine confidence.
The Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) and the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) are leading Communities for Immunity with support from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and in collaboration with the American Library Association (ALA) and the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM). Museums and libraries will leverage resources and research available on vaccines and variants disseminated by IMLS’ research partnership with OCLC and Battelle, the Reopening Archives, Libraries, and Museums (REALM) project. Communities for Immunity will further build on existing resources and efforts, including the Smithsonian Institution’s Vaccines & US: Cultural Organizations for Community Health initiative, as well efforts from the CDC, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and more.
“In the U.S. currently only children over the age of 12 are eligible for vaccination against COVID-19,” said Larry Hoffer, Interim Executive Director of ACM. “However, children’s museums can leverage their position as hubs in their communities to provide key information to parents and guardians of those children to empower them to make the safe choice regarding vaccination.”
In addition to ACM, organizations joining in the effort include the Association of African American Museums (AAAM), the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL), the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM), and the Urban Libraries Council (ULC). This national coalition of partners are creating a Community of Practice to develop and refine vaccine education resources that will be shared with the broader museum and library community.
This important project launches at a critical moment as the United States is experiencing both a surge in COVID-19 cases related to dangerous new coronavirus variants and an urgent need to dramatically increase vaccination rates.
“Throughout the pandemic, our nation’s museums and libraries have supported their communities with critical educational and social services,” said Laura Lott, President and CEO of the American Alliance of Museums. “As community pillars and trusted messengers, they are well-positioned to help build trust in and overcome hesitation to the COVID-19 vaccines.”
About ACM
The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) champions children’s museums worldwide. With more than 460 members in 50 states and 19 countries, ACM leverages the collective knowledge of children’s museums through convening, sharing, and dissemination. Learn more at www.childrensmuseums.org.
About the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC)
Founded in 1973, ASTC is a network of nearly 700 science and technology centers and museums, and allied organizations, engaging more than 110 million people annually across North America and in almost 50 countries. With its members and partners, ASTC works towards a vision of increased understanding of—and engagement with—science and technology among all people. For more information, visit www.astc.org.
About the American Alliance of Museums
The American Alliance of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge on issues of concern to the entire museum community. Representing more than 35,000 individual museum professionals and volunteers, institutions, and corporate partners serving the museum field, the Alliance stands for the broad scope of the museum community. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.
For more information on Communities for Immunity, visit communitiesforimmunity.org.
Larry Hoffer Named ACM Interim Executive Director
ARLINGTON, VA (June 29, 2021)—Laura Huerta Migus, current Executive Director of the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM), has been selected to lead the Office of Museum Services at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), beginning July 19.
“Taking on the role of Deputy Director of the Office of Museum Services is an incredible honor and comes at a time of great need and opportunity for the museum field,” said Huerta Migus. “I am excited to be joining IMLS to advance a bold agenda for strengthening museums’ roles as critical resources for communities across the country.”
Larry Hoffer has been named interim Executive Director of ACM. He started this role on June 21, providing a period of overlap for both leaders to support the ACM staff and board in a smooth transition. Hoffer most recently served as CEO of the Woodworking Machinery Industry Association and previously was Chief of Staff at the Association of Science & Technology Centers.
Said Hoffer, “I’m tremendously excited to be back in the museum field, as museums have always been among my first loves. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to lead ACM during this important transition and look forward to partnering with the board, staff, and members to keep building on Laura’s rich legacy.”
The ACM Board of Directors has convened a Transition Committee to plan and implement a national search for the next ACM Executive Director. This search will be informed by the current needs and priorities of the children’s museum community.
“The ACM Board of Directors values Laura’s work in positioning ACM as a thought leader and influencer in making the world a better place for children and families. We celebrate her appointment to the Office of Museum Services at IMLS,” said Tanya Durand, President, ACM Board of Directors, and Executive Director of Greentrike in Tacoma, Washington. “In this period of transition, we look forward to working with Larry Hoffer to continue this work in support of ACM’s membership and the communities we serve.”
This transition comes at the end of an extraordinary year for our field, following closures and operational distress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the face of these challenges, the children’s museum field innovated and transformed to remain responsive to the children and families in their communities, offering safe ways to learn through play. Leading the charge in stewarding our field through this journey has been the greatest fulfillment of ACM’s mission to champion children’s museums worldwide.
About Association of Children’s Museums (ACM)
The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) champions children’s museums worldwide. With more than 460 members in 50 states and 19 countries, ACM leverages the collective knowledge of children’s museums through convening, sharing, and dissemination. Learn more at www.childrensmuseums.org.
640+ Museums Participate in Offering Low/No Entrance Fee
ARLINGTON, VA (May 24, 2021)—Museums for All, an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) initiative, has been instrumental in opening museum doors for 3,000,000 community members receiving food assistance (SNAP) benefits since its launch in 2014. The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM), administers the initiative at more than 640 museums across the country to encourage people of all backgrounds to visit museums regularly and build lifelong museum habits.
“At IMLS, we believe that museums are critical community anchors,” said IMLS Director Crosby Kemper. “They provide opportunities to expand our knowledge and strengthen our practice of being lifelong learners. We are so proud of this milestone, and that Museums for All continues to be our strongest initiative to increase public access to museums for all citizens.”
A wide range of institutions participate in Museums for All, including art museums, children’s museums, science centers, botanical gardens, zoos, history museums, and more. As part of this initiative, museums offer individual admission fees ranging from free to $3 to individuals and families presenting a SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card during all normal operating hours. Participating museums are in all fifty states as well as the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Forty-seven cities are considered Museums for All Hub Cities, containing three or more participating museums.
“Participation in Museums for All, both by museums and audiences, has grown steadily since its launch in 2014,” said ACM Executive Director Laura Huerta Migus. “This milestone of 3,000,000 visits shows how important museums are to all community members, even in times of crisis, such as the past year.”
Museums for All helps expand access for individuals of all backgrounds to visit museums regularly and build lifelong museum habits. Visitors can find participating museums at: http://www.museums4all.org. Museums interested in signing up to participate can learn more at: https://museums4all.org/for-museums/.
About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
About Association of Children’s Museums (ACM)
The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) champions children’s museums worldwide. With more than 460 members in 50 states and 19 countries, ACM leverages the collective knowledge of children’s museums through convening, sharing, and dissemination. Learn more at www.childrensmuseums.org.
Association of Children’s Museums’ “Museums Mobilize” Initiative Highlights Efforts from Past Year
ARLINGTON, VA (March 18, 2021)—By March 19, 2020, all children’s museums in the U.S. had closed their doors to the public in response to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tomorrow, March 19, commemorates one year of transformation within the children’s museum field, with museums creating new programs to support their communities and fill critical needs all while facing unprecedented operational crisis. Through its Museums Mobilize initiative, the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) is documenting these programs in service to children and families, and this effort currently counts 167 programs from 78 children’s museums in 34 states and four countries.
“Currently, 61% percent of children’s museums around the world are open to public visitation—a percentage that is currently at its highest point over the past year,” said ACM Executive Director Laura Huerta Migus. “As educational innovators, advocates for childhood, and community anchors, children’s museums have always offered more than the physical visit alone. The past year has put this fact into stark relief as we continue to serve our communities.”
Immediately following their initial physical closures in March 2020, children’s museums began pivoting to serve their communities in new ways, and more than 70 percent of ACM’s museum membership was offering virtual programming by June 2020. In addition, children’s museums have pursued other innovative strategies such as partnerships with schools and activity kits to help close the digital divide. At the same time, the pandemic has had a major effect on children’s museum operations, resulting in lost revenue and reductions in staffing. In summer 2020, 75 percent of children’s museums reported only 28% of the attendance they received during the same period in 2019. A survey from the American Alliance of Museums found that individual museums lost on average $850,000 as a result of the pandemic.
In an upcoming webinar on April 6 at 2:00 p.m. ET, ACM will highlight specific children’s museum efforts to offer support to parents and caregivers. Leaders from Louisiana Children’s Museum, Pretend City Children’s Museum, and DuPage Children’s Museums will engage in a fireside chat with their community partners on projects from expert parenting webinars to text message programs. Register here.
As the world looks to reopening, it’s clear the pandemic will have consequences on museum operations for years to come. ACM’s Museums Mobilize initiative highlights the need to invest in children’s museums as community responders. Learn more about the efforts of children’s museums worldwide the hashtag #MuseumsMobilize and by viewing the Museums Mobilize dashboard with key stats at ChildrensMuseums.org/Museums-Mobilize.
About Association of Children’s Museums (ACM)
The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) champions children’s museums worldwide. With more than 460 members in 50 states and 19 countries, ACM leverages the collective knowledge of children’s museums through convening, sharing, and dissemination. Learn more at www.childrensmuseums.org.
Association of Children’s Museums’ “Museums Mobilize” Initiative Highlights Programming to Support Communities
ARLINGTON, VA (February 26, 2021)—Children’s museums around the world are offering programs to serve their communities during the COVID-19 crisis. Through its Museums Mobilize initiative, the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) has documented 167 programs in service to children and families from 78 children’s museums in 34 states and four countries.
“Most children’s museums closed their buildings in March 2020, and only just over half are currently open to physical visits by the public,” said ACM Executive Director Laura Huerta Migus. “For the past year, children’s museums have created and transformed their work to continue to support children and families, in the face of unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
An analysis of Museums Mobilize programming shows key trends among the programs offered, including partnerships with schools to provide space for students’ in-person, hybrid, or virtual learning; webinar series to provide guidance for parenting during the pandemic; activity kits to help close the digital divide; and more. Sixty-four percent of these programs include philanthropic partnerships, and 53% involve community partnerships.
In an upcoming webinar on March 4 at 2:00 p.m. ET, ACM will highlight specific children’s museum efforts, united by the theme of addressing food insecurity during the pandemic. Leaders from Lynn Meadows Discovery Center, Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum, and the Children’s Museum of the East End will share how they are exploring activity kits, a local farmer’s market, and a food pantry as innovative strategies to support their communities. Register here.
ACM is collecting and sharing Museums Mobilize stories with the hashtag #MuseumsMobilize. View the Museums Mobilize dashboard with key stats at ChildrensMuseums.org/Museums-Mobilize.
About Association of Children’s Museums (ACM)
The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) champions children’s museums worldwide. With more than 460 members in 50 states and 19 countries, ACM leverages the collective knowledge of children’s museums through convening, sharing, and dissemination. Learn more at www.childrensmuseums.org.
Campaign Tagline #MuseumsMobilize captures efforts
ARLINGTON, VA (November 30, 2020)—The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) has launched Museums Mobilize, a new initiative to highlight how children’s museums around the world are supporting children and families during the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign documents and amplifies museum efforts over the past eight months, and also provides resources to help ACM member museums communicate their work at the local level.
“Since March, children’s museums around the world have launched new efforts and transformed existing ones to support children, families, and communities facing unprecedented challenges,” said ACM Executive Director Laura Huerta Migus. “In these trying times, children’s museums have leveraged their expertise in child-and play-centered approaches to academic and social-emotional learning to meet direct and pressing needs—as shown in our new initiative, Museums Mobilize.”
Examples of children’s museum efforts include the Children’s Museum of Fond Du Lac partnership with the North Fond Du Lac School District to house the Treffert Way for the Exceptional Mind school; Louisiana Children’s Museum’s partnership with Tulane Institute of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health to offer the In Dialogue Video Chat Series, a webinar series that demystifies mental health issues for caregivers and their children; and the Museum of Discovery and Science’s MODS PODS program for distance learners in grades K-3.
To help shape the campaign, ACM is collecting stories of impact from our more than 300 children’s museum members around the world. These stories will be shared across ACM’s channels in the coming months. ACM is also building a network of global partners to increase children’s museums’ capacity to serve their communities. The first partner in the Museums Mobilize network is Nickelodeon.
About Association of Children’s Museums (ACM)
The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) champions children’s museums worldwide. With more than 460 members in 50 states and 19 countries, ACM leverages the collective knowledge of children’s museums through convening, sharing, and dissemination. Learn more at www.childrensmuseums.org.
Sharing ACM Trends Reports 4.3 and 4.4 from the Association of Children’s Museums and Knology
ARLINGTON, VA (September 9, 2020)—The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) and Knology shared Volumes 4.3 and 4.4 of the ACM Trends Reports, “Museums in a Pandemic: Workforce Impacts” and “Museums in a Pandemic: Impacts for Audiences & Partners.” These reports delve into changes affecting children’s museums’ staffing, as well as visitors, members, and partners, in the first two months of the COVID-19 crisis.
“In examining the impacts the COVID-19 on children’s museums, it’s clear the effects of the pandemic will be long-lasting and far-reaching in our field,” said ACM Executive Director Laura Huerta Migus. “In the midst of considerable upheaval, these findings underscore the importance children’s museums have in their communities, both as employers and as providers of services and programming that support children and families.”
The data draws from a survey from 115 ACM member museums conducted in May 2020. Key findings include:
These reports conclude ACM and Knology’s analysis of the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the children’s museum field during the first two months of the crisis. ACM and Knology are collecting a second round of data to explore the field’s experiences between May and September 2020. Further impacts will be explored in future reports of the ACM Trends Reports series.
Read the full text of ACM Trends 4.3 here and ACM Trends 4.4 here.
About ACM Trends Reports
Launched in Fall 2017, the ACM Trends Reports series draws from more than a decade of ACM member data to reveal trends in the children’s museum field. Volumes 1-3 are available for free to ACM members and for sale to non-members at www.childrensmuseums.org. This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
About Association of Children’s Museums (ACM)
The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) champions children’s museums worldwide. With more than 460 members in 50 states and 19 countries, ACM leverages the collective knowledge of children’s museums through convening, sharing, and dissemination. Learn more at www.childrensmuseums.org.
—Association of Children’s Museums and STEM Research Center at Oregon State University Partner on Four-Year National Science Foundation-Funded Project—
ARLINGTON, VA (August 14, 2020)—The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) and the STEM Research Center at Oregon State University (OSU) are collaborating on “interPLAY: Developing STEM Skills through Play and Exhibit Design for Early Learners in Children’s Museums and Science Centers.” This four-year research project focuses on better understanding playful engagement with STEM exhibits for children ages three to eight.
“Children’s museums know that play supports learning, and that the designed, interactive experiences we facilitate can help scaffold this learning,” said Laura Huerta Migus, Executive Director, ACM. “The interPLAY project builds upon ACM’s long-standing work in generating research and establishing quality standards for designing exhibits for early learners.”
The interPLAY project will include a literature review as well as the creation of a STEM for Play framework. Research to test and revise this framework will be conducted at children’s museum and science center sites. Further information about the project will be shared in the coming months.
“This project provides the opportunity for a much-needed expansion of the existing research on play and STEM learning for early learners,” said Martin Storksdieck, PhD, Director of the STEM Research Center. “This is an important area for the STEM Research Center, aligning with our goals to advance our understanding of—and broaden participation in—early STEM engagement.”
This “Research in Service to Practice” study has received funding from the National Science Foundation’s Advancing Informal STEM Learning program.
About Association of Children’s Museums (ACM)
The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) champions children’s museums worldwide. With more than 460 members in 50 states and 19 countries, ACM leverages the collective knowledge of children’s museums through convening, sharing, and dissemination. Learn more at www.ChildrensMuseums.org.
About STEM Research Center at Oregon State University (OSU)
The STEM Research Center consists of a team of dedicated professionals of various disciplinary backgrounds who conduct applied research on STEM education and science engagement at the intersection of research, policy and practice, with a strong focus on equity and social justice. Learn more at https://stem.oregonstate.edu/.
