November 14, 2008

ACM NEWS

Good to Grow! Community Partnership Survey
ACM wants to hear about your museum’s partnerships with community organizations that specifically focus on health and wellness. Information on children’s museum partnerships across the country will be included in the Good to Grow! Community Partnership Toolkit, available at www.GoodtoGrow.org beginning Spring 2009. Click here to complete the survey.

Get Noticed in the InterActivity 2009 Preliminary & Final Programs
Have a traveling exhibit, product or consulting expertise perfect for the children’s museum market? Then purchase ad space in the Preliminary & Final Conference Programs, the go-to resource more than 1,000 children’s museum professionals. Ads are due November 24, register online or contact Program Manager, Events, Joy Jump with questions.

Online ACM MarketPlace Registration is underway
Take a sneak peek at which organizations have locked into 2009 ACM MarketPlace locations. With just 11 tabletops and 50 booths available, don’t get locked out, register for the ACM MarketPlace today. Contact Program Manager, Events, Joy Jump with questions.

Apply to Win Grants & Recognition
Get a jump on the New Year’s to do list and apply early for ACM award opportunities. Nonprofit ACM U.S. children’s museum members 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 create an online toolkit that will enable other museums to replicate their award-winning program.

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
All applicants must apply online and are due January 19, 2009.

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.

Three Museums Join the ACM Reciprocal Membership Program
> Children’s Museum at the Paso Robles Volunteer Firehouse (California)
> Shalom Street (West Bloomfield, MI)
> Monterey County Youth Museum (California)

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

GoCityKids Promotion Initial Report
ACM is still collecting coupon redemption information from museum participants (66 museum participants have not reported their number yet); therefore, the final report is not yet available.

So far, 34 museums reported that no coupons were redeemed during the promotion. Another 23 museums did get visitors to their museum because of the coupon. The Children's Museum of Phoenix (AZ), redeemed 54 coupons, Impression 5 Science Center (Lansing, MI) reported 38 coupons and AHA! A Hands-On Adventure (Lancaster, OH) redeemed 36 coupons. AHA! Director Kimberly Murray provided this excellent feedback, “This accounts for approximately 2.5 coupons and 20% of our non-member visitors for each day that we were open during October.  I also know, from the cool stats we get for our website action, that there were 78 downloads of the coupon information during the week of Oct. 20-Oct. 26. Multiply that number by the four weeks and you get over 300 people who looked for the coupon, even though they may not have used it…”

MEMBER NEWS

The Children’s Museum of South Dakota (Brookings) — the state’s first children’s museum, held its ground breaking ceremony on October, 15. Funded by the Larson Family Foundation, the museum will feature 33,000 square feet of exhibits and open in summer of 2010. In the true spirit of play, the ground breaking ceremony featured a local marching band and dinosaur egg dig for area children. Click below to view ABC News affiliate coverage of the event. http://www.ksfy.com/news/local/31083039.html?video=YHI&t=a
Congratulations!

9th Annual Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Sweater Drive
Children's Museum of Pittsburgh (PA) proudly launched its ninth annual Mister Rogers’ Sweater Drive in collaboration with the United Way of Allegheny County, Presbyterian Churches of the Tri-State Area and Youth ALIVE. The drive will run through December 13. A special visit to the Museum by everyone’s favorite speedy delivery man — Mr. McFeely — as well as the Neighborhood of Make-Believe’s cuddly Purple Panda kicked off the drive earlier in month. For more information, contact the Museum’s Sweater Donation Hotline at (412) 322-5058, ext. 311.

Chicago Scenic Studios Plays Role in Election Night
ACM corporate member, Chicago Scenic Studios (CCSI) was one of a group of companies who worked diligently earlier this month to make the acceptance speech by President Elect Barack Obama, a professionally produced event in Grant Park in Chicago (IL). CSSI supplied the main stage and backing walls designed by Bruce Rodgers of Tribe Design and supplied the many U.S. flags that TV viewers and local rally attendees saw on election night. As a last minute detail, Chicago Scenic also designed and built a new lectern from which President Elect Obama addressed the nation.

OPPORTUNITIES

Prizes for Excellence in International Education
Deadline: December, 1, 2008
The Goldman Sachs Foundation and Asia Society are seeking applications for the 2008 Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes for Excellence in International Education.  The prize program was created in 2003 to raise awareness of the growing importance of international knowledge and skills for U.S. students and annually awards prizes totaling $150,000 in five different categories.

Children’s museums and other non profits are eligible to apply to the media/technology prize category. For more information and to access the online application, please visit http://asiasociety.org/gsfprizes.

“Delgo” National Movie Release and Free Activity Toolkit
On December 12, 2008, a full-length feature animated coming of age movie — “Delgo” will open in 2,000 theaters throughout the U.S. and Canada. In conjunction with the movie launch, producer Marc Adler is inviting children’s museums to host “Delgo” opening weekend celebrations. Adler’s love of movie production was born in The Children’s Museum of Houston’s “KID-TV” exhibit when he was a child. 

Free “Delgo” Children’s Museum Toolkits are available at www.cmhouston.org/Delgo. Kits include posters, movie trailers, plans for 10 activities, press releases that link “Delgo” to Adler’s children’s museum beginnings and promotion ideas.

Just Playing? Conference Hosted by Eureka! January 14, 2009
Eureka! The Museum For Children (Halifax, West Yorkshire, U.K.) looks at the role of play in children’s lives. Can children learn through play? Should adults take part in child’s play? Can digital technology enhance play? These questions and others will be asked at the conference — a first for the United Kingdom’s leading children’s museum — will bring together different parts of the play and learning sectors with playworkers, early years practitioners and teachers attending.

Just Playing? will include talks by Leeds Metropolitan University Professor of Playful Learning, Pat Broadhead, and Dr. Fraser Brown, a reader in playwork. They will be joined by Ruth Churchill-Dower, director of the educational consultancy Isaacs U.K. Eureka! has been working with Leeds University since 2007 to further the professional understanding of play; the conference will be an opportunity to learn about this innovative partnership. Delegates will also have the chance to get playful in a range of creative workshops, including a puppetry session from Dynamic New Animation.

To find out more about the conference, or to register call: 01422 330012 or visit: www.eureka.org.uk/justplaying. Registrations are £95 per person and include lunch. Discounts are available for more than one person attending from the same institution.

Second Annual Asian Children's Museum Conference
February 19-21, 2009
Planning is currently underway for the second Asian Children's Museum Conference conference hosted by the Museo Sang Bata Sa Negros (MSBN). MSBN is a hands-on, interactive museum for children focused on the marine environment.  It is located on the shoreline directly facing the 32,000-hectare Sagay Marine Reserve. Close to 98 percent of the people living in and around this area are dependent on marine resources for their food and livelihood. Sagay city is home to MSBN, the second hands-on and interactive children's museum in the Philippines and its first marine museum. 
 
The purpose of conference is to encourage more localities in the Philippines to build children's museum or include discovery rooms, reading areas or exhibits focused on children in existing museums. The conference will include local government representatives, school and university officials, daycare and preschool directors as well as heads of existing museums. To inquire about presenting at the conference, please contact Elizabeth Cordova - la O’, museum director/curator, Museo Sang Bata Sa Negros.

The Big Read Grant
Deadline: February 3, 2009
The Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Endowment for the Arts and Arts Midwest have partnered to provide citizens the opportunity to read and discuss a single book within their communities and encourage literary reading. Approximately 400 organizations of varying sizes across the country will be selected and children’s museums are invited to apply.

In celebration of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the Omaha Children’s Museum (NE) is hosting a Build a Raft Challenge in its Science & Technology Learning Lab for visitors to see what it takes to build a raft that will float down the mighty Mississippi, just like the characters in the novel.

Download the Guidelines and application and apply today.

Issue Brief on Afterschool and Special Needs
The Afterschool Alliance has recently released a new Issue Brief, "Afterschool and Students with Special Needs," examining the role of afterschool programs in reaching out to and providing enrichment opportunities for special needs students. It includes examples from programs and promising practices for others interested in learning more, implementing or incorporating successful strategies into their own special needs programs. Download the brief at http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/issue_1_needs.cfm.

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).

CLASSIFIED

Opportunities on the National Grants and Awards Calendar, including:
> John’s Hopkins University Center for Summer Learning, 2009 Excellence in Summer Learning Award — January 14
> National Endowment for the Humanities, We the People: Family and Youth Programs — January 28

There are 11 openings on ACM Museum Jobs, including:
> Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota [Executive Director] (Mankato)
> Catawba Science Center [Executive Director] (Hickory, NC)
> Don Harrington Discovery Center [Exhibit Manager] (Amarillo, TX)

There are 70 exhibits available for sale and rent on ACM Exhibits MarketPlace, including:
> “The Power of Documentation: Children’s Learning Revealed” — 1,500 sq. ft.
> “The Water Factory” — 350-450 sq. ft.> “The Itsy Bitsy Spider Rain Garden” — under 50 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.