May 9, 2008

ACM NEWS

Thanks for the Memories!
Refreshed, inspired and excited by InterActivity 2008 in Denver? Have concerns, suggestions or ideas to improve the annual meeting? ACM needs and values your feedback. Take 10-15 minutes to complete the InterActivity 2008 evaluation and enter to win a complimentary registration to InterActivity 2009 in Philadelphia. To be eligible, ACM must receive your survey by May 19.

Declare and Share Your Impact!
ACM is accepting session proposals for InterActivity 2009: Declare Your Impact! The best way to truly understand something is to share it with others, and ACM's InterActivity conference is a unique platform to share your impact with museum professionals. New for 2009: ACM has added Membership, Play, Diversity and Health session tracks to the major discipline areas familiar to all. Click below for InterActivity 2009 theme statement, session proposal guidelines and online proposal form. Session proposals are due June 30, 2008.
www.ChildrensMuseums.org/conferences/09IAIndex.htm

Fundraising Opportunity Available to ACM Member Museums
The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has partnered with ACM's Good to Grow! initiative in support of connecting children to nature and outdoor play at children's museums. In the coming weeks, ACM Member Museums will receive information via email regarding a new fundraising opportunity available through NWF publications.

ACM museum members that choose to participate in this program can promote annual subscriptions of NWF's award-winning children's magazines (Ranger Rick, Big Backyard and Wild Babies) to their audiences. Participating ACM members will receive 25% of the purchase price for each subscription purchased online at the NWF web site using their museum's unique code.

Look for information in the coming weeks on how your museum can take advantage of this unique opportunity. Contact Renay Galati with questions at galati@nwf.org.

ACM Reciprocal Program Addition
ACM would like to announce one new addition to the Reciprocal Program. ACM has updated the downloadable brochure to accommodate all Reciprocal participants:
The New Children's Museum (formerly the Children's Museum of San Diego)

Is your museum interested in becoming a Reciprocal Program participant? Contact crajakaruna@ChildrensMuseums.org for program guidelines and an application for Reciprocal Program membership.

MEMBER NEWS

Washington state's Department of Early Learning is partnering with 13 children's museums throughout the state to help expand access for more children and their caregivers. Each museum will receive about $20,000 each. ACM Member Museums receiving this funding include The Children's Museum of Tacoma; Hands On Children's Museum (Olympia); KidsQuest Children's Museum (Bellevue); Mobius Kids (Spokane); The Children's Museum Seattle; Imagine Children's Museum (Everett); and Whatcom Children's Museum (Bellingham). To see a complete list of museums and read more about how each museum will utilize the funding, visit:
www.del.wa.gov/resources/newsroom/041608.aspx

Congratulations to The New Children's Museum (San Diego, CA), which had its grand reopening to the public on May 4. The new 50,000-sq.-ft facility features a three-story atrium, 17-ft. concrete entrance bridge, angled "saw tooth" roof structure and a glass-enclosed elevator shaft that functions as a heating/cooling tower. The building incorporates many green elements, including recycled building materials, a solar electric system, water-saving devices and natural day lighting and convection cooling.

San Luis Obispo Children's Museum (CA) received a $1 million donation from the Copeland Family, a local developer. With this donation, the museum has raised 90 percent of it $5.2 million capital campaign goal. The museum closed in 2002 and plans to reopen as a three-story, 8,400-sq.-ft. facility.

OPPORTUNITIES

Target Local Store Grants
The Local Store Grants program offers grant amounts typically ranging from $1,000-$3,000 for programs in three areas: arts, early childhood reading and family violence prevention. Each of the three areas has its own online application form. Applications are being accepted through May 31, 2008, for programs that will take place between October 1, 2008, and September 30, 2009. Apply online at www.target.com/grants

Afterschool for All Challenge 2008
Afterschool Alliance and advocates from across the United States are meeting in Washington, DC, May 13-14, to help grow support for afterschool programs. The program will feature two full days of activities, including a Youth Advocacy track, training and networking sessions, events meetings with members of Congress and staff. City officials, superintendents, school board members and afterschool providers will have the chance to share ideas and strategies for ensuring the growth of quality afterschool programs.

More information is available at www.AfterschoolAlliance.org.
Questions? Call 202-347-2030 or email challenge@afterschoolalliance.org.

Communicating the Museum Conference
The Communicating the Museum Conference will explore the following areas: Audience Research and Development, Advertising, Programming and New Media. Each area will be broken down into keynote speeches and interactive sessions, with the goal of deconstructing success stories so that museums may apply them to future communication strategies.

The conference will take place June 25-28 in Venice, Italy. For registration and other information, please visit: www.CommunicatingTheMuseum.com/registration.html

NAME Article on Family Learning in Museums Available
The spring issue of The National Association for Museum Exhibitions' (NAME) quarterly journal, Exhibitionist, focuses on the importance and value of family learning in museums. Topics include early learning, play and universal design among others. To order a copy and learn more about NAME, please visit:
http://name.pmhclients.com/journal/List%20of%20Issues

Research on Informal Environments Coming Soon
The National Academies Study Group on Learning Science in Informal Environments has gathered several case studies that provide rich, detailed portrayals of science learning and educational practices in informal settings. Volume one, a consensus study, will be in pre-publication July 2008. Volume two, a second practitioner's resource, is due February 2009. To learn more, please visit:
www7.NationalAcademies.org/bose/LSIE_Resources.html

Free Health Lesson Plans Available
A.T. Still University has partnered with the Institute of Museum and Library Services to create lesson plans that align with many state curriculum requirements for K-8 lesson plans. For more information visit: www.HealerWithin.org

CLASSIFIED

There are 7 grant and award opportunities on the National Grants and Awards Calendar. Here are some upcoming deadlines:
The Dana Foundation, Rural Initiative Grants - June 4
National Endowment for the Arts, Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth - June 9
Archer Daniels Midland Company, Community Partnership Grants - June 30

There are 17openings on the ACM Museum Jobs section. Here are some of the latest postings:
Children's Museum of the Arts [Campaign Coordinator] (New York, NY)
Children's Museum of Durango [Museum Manager] (Durango,CO)
Marbles Kids Museum [Director of Education & Training] (Raleigh, NC)

There are 68 exhibits on the ACM Exhibits Marketplace. Here are some of the latest postings:
"Ready Vet Go!" - 250-500 sq. ft.
"Your Healer Within®" - 1,800 to 2,000 sq. ft.
"Children Just Like Me" - 2,500 sq. ft.

All E-Updates are available online. We welcome member contributions: press clippings, exhibit information, major announcements. Please forward all materials for the E-Update and ACMForum to acm@ChildrensMuseums.org.