Association of Children's Museums

"Sing with your children. Sing silly songs, sing along with the radio, sing in the shower, sing anything you care about. Model that with your kids and it'll go a long way." - Sarah Johnson, Chief Education Officer at Carnegie Hall A new episode of Empowering Young Minds is out! On this episode, Arthur and Sarah discuss how music can help parents uplift their children and how it supports people's lives. Listen now: https://buff.ly/3LDFRgx

ACM is committed to providing value to you, which is why we offer a variety of exclusive member benefits. We’re currently evaluating adding an affinity partner that would help our members save on shipping – but we want to hear from you first! We’d like to learn more about your needs. By responding to the 5-minute survey below, you’ll be helping us determine how valuable shipping discounts would be to our members and how to make a shipping program the most worthwhile for you. Share your feedback today to make sure your voice is heard: https://buff.ly/3SgImsK

We are once again partnering with Nickelodeon, the ultimate expert in all things fun, for the 2024 Our World: Worldwide Day of Play! Already signed up to participate? Submit your plans so that people can find your event! Fill out our quick form with event title, details, hours, and location: https://buff.ly/4d4duUv Please submit your event details by July 29 to be included in the initial directory that goes live on August 1. We will continue to accept submissions and updates until September 26.

We are excited to announce an expansion of our MuseumLab for Museum Professionals (MLMP) project, hosted through a collaborative partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, and guided by a steering committee of established leaders in the museum field. The MLMP program was developed to guide children’s museum professionals as they turned deep questions into actionable implementation plans. Through MLMP, participants received customized support in prototyping and budgeting those plans within their organizations and beyond. Want to learn more about this program? Visit our website here, https://buff.ly/4bHlObx

We are excited to share that Miami Children’s Museum has launched the Museum Playful Learning Collective, a groundbreaking national partnership of more than 10 museums aimed at examining the impact of formal museum preschool education on school readiness among children. This initiative, funded in part by a generous grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, seeks to answer critical questions about the advantages of museum-based preschool education, the alignment of curriculum with museum programs, and the best methods to measure kindergarten readiness. For more information, visit the ACM newsroom: https://buff.ly/3xVjlwq #childrensmuseums #playfullearning #education

We are excited to announce that our very own Executive Director, Arthur G. Affleck, III, will be moderating this year's #GLRWeek session-- celebrating and highlighting the critical work of children’s museums! Join the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading on 7/23 at 12:30 pm ET for a "Grade-Level Reading Week" session! ACM Members are invited and encouraged to attend! Register now! https://buff.ly/4byr2pY #ChildrensMuseums #FocusOnTheGaps #GLRWeek

Thinking about submitting a session proposal for InterActivity 2025? Join our Session Proposal Writing Webinar being held TOMORROW, July 9, at 2 p.m. ET. Register now: https://buff.ly/3WaQaia Proposals are selected by the Program Committee, a volunteer group representing the field, who look for innovative, adaptable, and scalable practices. Since the conference is called InterActivity, activities and hands-on learning are requisite.

Bring a slice of Asian culture to your museum! As part of the Freeman Foundation Asian Culture Exhibit Series, we are pleased to be able to make plans for the four modular exhibits – HOME, PLAY, CELEBRATIONS, and MUSIC – available to any member museum that would like them, free of charge. Simply fill out the exhibition application request form: https://buff.ly/45vUJGV Not an ACM member? Click here: https://buff.ly/3ZxfA8V"

Mark your calendars because the July schedule for our virtual Hangouts by Job Function is now available! First up, we have Education, Programs & Visitor Experiences, Tuesday, July 9th. As a reminder, access information can be found in the ACM Member Resources Community on Groupsite! If you haven’t joined the ACM Groupsite, email [email protected]. If you’re not yet an ACM member, click here: https://buff.ly/3ZxfA8V #ProfessionalDevelopment #ChildrensMuseums

We are excited to share that kidSTREAM Children's Museum has received its largest gift to date, $2,000,000 from Amgen and the Amgen Foundation, towards their ongoing capital campaign to build a children’s museum in Ventura County. By partnering with kidSTREAM, Amgen is helping to level the playing field and ensure that every child has the opportunity to explore, innovate, and succeed. "At Amgen, we recognize the critical importance of STEM education in preparing the next generation of leaders and innovators. By investing in organizations like kidSTREAM, we are investing in the future of our community and our world." - Emily Razaqi, Senior Vice President and Chair of the Amgen Foundation