–Honor awarded during the Association of Children’s Museums’ annual InterActivity Conference–
ARLINGTON, VA (May 5, 2022)—The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) is thrilled to announce PBS KIDS as the recipient of the 2022 ACM Great Friend to Kids Award. The award will be accepted by David Lowenstein, Senior Director of Ready To Learn at PBS KIDS, on Wednesday, May 18, during ACM’s InterActivity 2022 conference in St. Louis, MO.
“ACM is proud to honor PBS KIDS as our 2022 ACM Great Friend to Kids Award recipient for its outstanding impact on the lives of children, building knowledge, critical thinking, imagination, and curiosity,” said ACM Executive Director Arthur Affleck. “By involving parents, teachers, caregivers, and communities as learning partners, PBS KIDS helps to empower children for success in school, work and life.”
Lowenstein manages the Ready To Learn Initiative for PBS KIDS, leading a cross-disciplinary team, in partnership with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), responsible for the research, development, and distribution of educational media and resources for young children and their families. He is a regular speaker on the role of public media in improving early learning outcomes and community-based initiatives.
Since 1991, the ACM Great Friends to Kids Award has been presented annually at the InterActivity conference and honors those who have made significant contributions to strengthen education and advance the interests of children. Recent recipients include Temple Grandin, the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, The Junior League, and Geoffrey Canada.
Returning for the first time in person in three years, InterActivity 2022 will be hosted by The Magic House, St. Louis Children’s Museum in St. Louis, MO from May 16-18. Hundreds of children’s museum leaders, staff, and stakeholders will gather to explore this year’s theme, PLAY The Long Game, share knowledge, and advocate for the children’s museum field.
To cover ACM’s InterActivity conference, contact Alison Howard at 703.224.3100 x102.
About ACM
The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) champions children’s museums worldwide. With more than 470 members in 50 states and 16 countries, ACM leverages the collective knowledge of children’s museums through convening, sharing, and dissemination. Learn more at www.ChildrensMuseums.org.
About PBS KIDS
PBS KIDS believes the world is full of possibilities, and so is every child. As the number one educational media brand for kids, PBS KIDS helps children ages 2-8 learn lessons that last a lifetime. Through media and community-based programs, PBS KIDS wants children to see themselves uniquely reflected and celebrated in lovable, diverse characters who serve as positive role models, and to explore their feelings and discover new adventures along the way. Families can stream PBS KIDS for free anytime, no subscription required. A large collection of mobile apps and pbskids.org provide accessible content that spark kids’ curiosity. PBS KIDS and local stations across the country support the entire ecosystem in which children learn and grow – including their teachers and caregivers, parents, and community – providing resources accessible anytime and anywhere. For more information, visit pbs.org/pressroom, or follow PBS KIDS on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
ARLINGTON, VA (March 22, 2022): Today, the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) announced its partnership with We Can Do This, the COVID-19 public education campaign of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
An international membership organization with 470 members in all 50 states and 16 countries, ACM will collaborate with children’s museums and related organizations across the U.S. to share critical information about the availability of COVID-19 vaccines for children.
“As the foremost professional society advocating on behalf of children’s museums, we are committed to the health and wellbeing of children and families,” said Arthur Affleck, Executive Director of the Association of Children’s Museums. “We are excited by this opportunity to partner with the Department of Health and Human Services to support children’s museums across the U.S. in sharing critical information with parents and caregivers about vaccine availability for young children.”
As part of this partnership, ACM will share HHS resources with museums across the United States, and will also support programs, events, and exhibits in children’s museums to build broader vaccine confidence. ACM will also create and disseminate a four-panel exhibit sharing critical information about vaccines with parents and caregivers, available for free to museums to download and print. For more information about these resources and potential funding opportunities for museums, visit www.ChildrensMuseums.org/covid-19.
About ACM
The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) champions children’s museums worldwide. With more than 470 members in 50 states and 16 countries, ACM leverages the collective knowledge of children’s museums through convening, sharing and dissemination. Learn more at www.childrensmuseums.org.
In response to the ongoing damage caused by Hurricane Harvey in Texas, ACM is establishing the ACM Harvey Response Fund to assist the staff and families of our members affected by the storm.
ACM will match the first $5,000 donated. The Fund will remain open for donations through September 30, 2017.
See NPR for more information about organizations on the ground
On February 7, 2017, ACM launched 90 Days of Action, a campaign celebrating the important role children’s museums play in welcoming immigrant and refugee children and families.
We’re thrilled with the early results of our research into what children’s museums are already doing to serve diverse communities: Most of our members have outreach strategies specifically to reach these populations, and more than 75 percent are looking into new opportunities to do so.
If you haven’t yet done so, feel free to take our survey at any point throughout the campaign, which runs through May 8, 2017. [edit: survey closed]
As we enter the next phase of the campaign, the ACM team has developed materials to help museums get involved in the campaign. Here’s how your museum can get involved:
Museum resource include:
Together, children’s museums are creating a #WorldTheyDeserve. Please direct any questions to Alison Howard at Alison.Howard@ChildrensMuseums.org.
Laura Huerta Migus is Executive Director of the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM). Follow @childmuseums and @huertamigus on Twitter.
“The Run Around” is the official blog by the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM), sharing the latest news for and about children’s museums. Its goal is to disseminate key Association updates with our stakeholders, as well as uplift the collective knowledge of our field.
Articles should be submitted to Alison Howard, Communications Manager, at Alison.Howard@ChildrensMuseums.org.
Audience:
The blog will be primarily directed toward ACM members, offering our museum and business members a steady source of news about the latest advancements in our field, in addition to a platform to share their knowledge. In addition to children’s museum staff and board members, the blog’s audience includes professionals in related fields, and invested members of the public.
Submission Guidelines:
Additional Information:
