October 9, 2008

ACM NEWS

Plan for InterActivity 2009: Declare Your Impact!
Visit the InterActivity 2009 Web page to learn about:

• Registration rates, rebate options, scholarship opportunities
• Hotel rates and travel options
• Award opportunities

Apply to Win Grants & Recognition
Get a jump on the competition and apply early for ACM award opportunities. Nonprofit ACM U.S. children’s museum members that are in good standing are eligible for most awards. All applicants must apply online.

All application deadlines: January 19, 2009

2009 MetLife Foundation & ACM Promising Practice Award
Measurable impact is the theme for the 2009 Promising Practice Award. A maximum of three unrestricted cash awards totaling $20,000 will be presented to selected museums that demonstrate how their innovative program, exhibit and/or management practice has impacted the health, diversity or play of children, families and/or communities through measurable evaluation. One of the awards is designated for a small museum with an annual budget of $499,999 or less.

2009 MetLife Foundation & ACM Promising Practice Replication Award
Previous recipients of the Promising Practice Award are invited to apply for a Replication Award and a $10,000 restricted grant to document their award-winning program development process and to create an online toolkit that will enable other museums to replicate the program in their own communities.

Universal Design for Learning Award
This award is an innovative collaboration between VSA arts and ACM that identifies model programs in children’s museums that demonstrate learning standards for inclusive practice. A maximum of three cash awards totaling $30,000 will be presented to selected museums. Awardees also receive technical assistance to refine and document their practices for dissemination.

Questions? Contact Korie Twiggs, Education Program Officer, Education.

Diversity in Action Opportunities
Your museum’s efforts to demonstrate diversity in action can have a big impact on the children and families you serve. So don’t delay, apply to participate in ACM’s Diversity in Action programs. International and U.S. ACM children’s museum members that are in good standing are eligible for these opportunities. All applicants must apply online.

Diversity in Action Showcase
The Diversity in Action Showcase was created to give ACM colleagues a venue to share their current efforts and work in promoting, supporting and celebrating diversity in their institutions as it relates to staff, visitors and/or the community. Looking for ideas of what kinds of programs to submit? See summaries of the 2008 Showcase.

2009 Diversity in Action InterActivity Scholarship
Selected individuals will receive complimentary registration and lodging at InterActivity 2009 in Philadelphia, PA. The goals of the scholarship program are to encourage retention and professional development of museum staff of diverse backgrounds.

Questions? Contact Lila Elliott, Program Manager, Membership.

Changes to the ACM Reciprocal Membership Program
Children’s Museum of Tampa (FL) closed October 4 to prepare for the construction its new facility, scheduled to open in 2010.
Charlotte At Play - A Child’s Museum (NC),which was a for-profit museum, closed at the end of September citing financial difficulties. Both museums were active participants of the Reciprocal Program.

Download an up-to-date ACM Reciprocal Program Participants Brochure for your museum members.

ACM/Nickelodeon Children’s Museum Promotion Update
ACM’s largest national promotion launched on Monday, September 29, with Nickelodeon’s ParentsConnect’s GoCityKids. Nearly 130 ACM member museums are profiled on GoCityKids.org and are linked to the October Deals & Steals ACM promotion — where a child receives free admission when accompanied by a paying adult.

A press release about the promotion was distributed on Monday, September 29. See below for links announcements in Wall Street Journal’s Marketwatch and various Blogs. Background information about the promotion and resources for museum participants is in the Bulletin Board section of the ACM Members Only Web site.

MEMBER NEWS

The new LEED-certified Brooklyn Children’s Museum (NY) re-opened on September 20. Designed by Rafael Vinoly Architects, the expanded children’s museum is New York City’s first LEED-certified museum in addition to being the first structure to tap geothermal wells as a means to heat and cool its grounds. Highlights from the museum’s new exhibits include “World Brooklyn,” which celebrates the richly diverse neighborhood of Crown Heights, and “Neighborhood Nature,” which introduces children and families to a freshwater pond, a saltwater beach, an urban woodland and a community garden. Click below to view The New York Times online video coverage of the opening:
http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=4b697c00f8088d874de9a66b62abbabe8872f684

First Lady Laura Bush awarded The Franklin Institute (Philadelphia, PA) the 2008 National Medal for Museum and Library Service (IMLS) at a White House ceremony on October 7. The award honors outstanding institutions that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities. The Franklin admits 30,000 schoolchildren for free, with hundreds of thousands more admitted at substantially reduced costs. Two of The Franklin’s major community commitments are its Science Leadership Academy, an innovative magnet high school created in partnership with the City of Philadelphia, and its Partnerships for Achieving Careers in Technology and Science student initiative.

2008 National Leadership Grants Awardees
IMLS recognized four children’s museums in its 2008 National Leadership Grants for Museums competition. Bay Area Discovery Museum (Sausalito, CA) received a planning grant to create a model for developing outdoor learning environments for underserved youth, aged five and under. Boston Children’s Museum (MA) accepted a demonstration award to develop a “Countdown to Kindergarten” exhibit to promote what school readiness means and the role parents play in preparing their children for kindergarten. Louisiana Children’s Museum (New Orleans) and Lynn Meadows Discovery Center (Gulfport, MS) both received Hurricane Relief grants that will enable the museums to provide outreach in their communities.

OPPORTUNITIES

IMLS Museums for America Grant Deadline: November 1, 2008
IMLS is accepting applications for the FY 2009 Museums for America (MFA) grant program. As the Institute’s largest museum grant program, MFA supports projects that help qualified institutions achieve their goals, further their missions and build their capacity to better serve their communities. Application guidelines and instructions available at: http://www.imls.gov/applicants/grants/forAmerica.shtm.

Getty Professional Development Opportunity Deadline: January 13, 2009
The Museum Leadership Institute (MLI) is the primary executive development opportunity of the Getty Leadership Institute. This in-depth residential leadership program enhances the leadership of experienced museum executives and strengthens their institutions’ capabilities. MLI runs July 11-31, 2009, at the Getty Center (Los Angeles, CA).

The Leadership Institute will consider need-based requests for reduced tuition fees from eligible museum professionals. For further information and to apply visit: www.getty.edu/leadership/programs/mli/ 

ACM Allied Organization Conferences
Be a lifelong learner! Fall is a fantastic time for museum professionals to continue their professional development, discover trends and network with colleagues at one of the many ACM allied museum service organization’s conferences:

In the Public Eye – Science Centers at the Crossroads of Science and Culture
Association of Science and Technology Centers Annual Conference
October 18-21, 2008, Philadelphia, PA

The Museum as Storyteller, MAAM on The Mall
Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums (MAAM)
October 26-29, 2008, Washington, DC

Sustaining Communities: The Power of Museums
New England Museum Association Annual Conference
November 12-14, 2008, Warwick, RI
* Includes a special Children’s Museums Day

Defining Museum Ethics
Seton Hall University, M.A. Program in Museum Professions
November 15, 2008, South Orange, NJ

Museums in Conversation: Fresh Perspectives for New York State Museums
Upstate History Alliance and Museum Association of New York
March 29-30, 2009, Tarrytown, NY
* Currently accepting session proposals, submission deadline: November 1, 2008.

Get a Free “Ruff” Guide to Science
It’s not too late to order your new free “FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman” activity guide based on the popular PBS television series. The guide includes six new science activities, a game that introduces kids to fascinating science careers, museum leader notes and tips for running a FETCH! club.

Investigate Earth Science Week, October 12-18, with Curious George
PBS has developed new free earth science activities suitable for children ages 4 to 8 using Curious George. Museums can download activity how-tos that explore wind, mud, rocks, sand and recycling by clicking on “Curiosity Center Activities” at the below link. http://pbskids.org/curiousgeorge/parentsteachers/activities/

Contact Gay Mohrbacher, Outreach Project Director, WGBH Educational Foundation to borrow a 12-minute clip from the Curious George show featuring George trying to make a snow man out of different materials, including ice chips, mud, rocks, and sand or to request free banners highlighting the earth science theme.

CLASSIFIED

Lots of opportunities on the National Grants and Awards Calendar, including:

• National Endowment for the Humanities,
  Picturing America — October 31
• National Gardening Association and The Home Depot™,
  2008 Youth Garden Grants™  Program — November 1
• Institute of Museum and Library Services,
  Museums For America — November 1

There are 13 openings on ACM Museum Jobs, including:

• The Don Harrington Discovery Center
  [Program Manager] (Amarillo, TX)
  
• The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
  [Family Program Manager] (IN)
  
• Port Discovery, The Children’s Museum in Baltimore
  [Early Childhood & Community Enrichment Specialist] (MD)
• The New Children’s Museum
  [Chief Financial Officer] (San Diego, CA)
  
  

There are 67 exhibits available for sale and rent on ACM Exhibits MarketPlace, including:

• “Torn From Home: My Life as a Refugee”
  (no rental fee, museums pay damage deposit and inbound shipping).
  
• “Conservation Quest Maze”
  
• “The Power of Documentation: Children's Learning Revealed”
  

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.