"Museum Playful Learning Collective" To
Examine Impact of Museum-Based Preschool Education Across 10+
Participating Museums
MIAMI, June 24,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Miami Children's Museum,
South Florida's premier
institution for interactive and engaging early childhood learning
through art, science, culture, and literacy – and the only
museum-based K-5 school in the country – is proud to announce the
launch of 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.
The Museum Playful Learning Collective will be officially
launched at the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance's summer
conference during a panel titled "Unifying Museum Education:
Leveraging Environments for Children's Education." This panel will
explore key questions such as integrating early learning programs
with existing museum exhibits, unique opportunities provided by
museum programs, and the collaboration between museum educators,
classroom educators, and curators.
Participating partners include The Creative Learning Center
(Miami-based traditional preschool
partner), Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center, Boston Children's
Museum, The Strong National Museum of Play, The Children's Museum,
Great Explorations, Thinkery, The Woodlands Children's Museum, Fort
Worth Science and History Museum, Explora, and Bay Area Discovery
Museum. The collective aims to identify commonalities among these
varied institutions and redefine early childhood education in
museums, ensuring every child has the opportunity to embark on a
transformative educational journey. Through interviews, surveys,
observations, and child data, the project will articulate the
benefits and impacts of museum schools on early learning, sharing
these insights with the broader fields of early childhood education
and museums.
Deborah Spiegelman, CEO of Miami
Children's Museum, emphasized the importance and timeliness of this
collective: "As the only museum-based K-5 school in the country, it
was a natural fit for Miami Children's Museum to take a leadership
role in launching the Museum Playful Learning Collective and
spearheading this vital research. This initiative represents an
unprecedented collaboration among museum educators, enabling the
sharing of best practices, curriculum support, and innovative
educational strategies. This collaboration with children's and
science museums aims to integrate them into the formal world of
learning and establish themselves as integral educational
institutions. Notably, it will also provide a pathway for museums
to cement their importance in early childhood education."
In addition to the collective's launch, the Miami Children's
Museum, in collaboration with University of
Miami faculty, have submitted a paper for peer-review
describing the museum gallery framework. The teams are also
conducting a literature review of early childhood education in
museums. Findings from these studies will be shared with other
institutions in the Collective and beyond.
For more information about the Museum Playful Learning
Collective, please visit
https://www.miamichildrensmuseum.org/research-museum.
ABOUT MIAMI CHILDREN'S
MUSEUM:
Miami Children's Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
educational institution dedicated to enriching the lives of all
children by fostering a love of learning and enabling children to
realize their highest potential. Visitors of all ages are
encouraged to play together, learn, imagine, and create. The museum
offers bilingual, interactive exhibits, hundreds of daily programs
and classes, a Subway restaurant, Kid Smart educational gift shop
and learning materials related to arts, culture, community, and
communication. Celebrating 40 years of fostering childhood
education and imagination, Miami Children's Museum also marks 20
years in its iconic Watson Island location.
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. IMLS envisions a nation where individuals
and communities have access to museums and libraries to learn from
and be inspired by the trusted information, ideas, and stories they
contain about our diverse natural and cultural heritage. To learn
more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us
on Facebook and Twitter.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Melissa
Benhaim
379552@email4pr.com
(610) 513-8335
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SOURCE Miami Children's Museum