Key Ways Museums and Libraries Support Young Children

Transform Consulting Group is highlighting the capacity of museums and libraries as an often overlooked resource to support early learning efforts. The federal Institute of Museum and Libraries Services (IMLS) and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading recently released a report documenting 10 key ways that libraries and museums are supporting young children. Growing Young Minds: How Museums and Libraries Create Lifelong Learners also offers case studies and provides a clear call to policymakers, schools, funders and parents to make full use of these vital, existing community resources.

The ten key ways in which museums and libraries help develop a strong start for young children’s learning include:

1. Increasing high-quality early learning experiences;
2. Engaging and supporting families as their child’s first teachers;
3. Supporting development of executive function and “deeper learning” skills through literacy and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) based experiences;
4. Creating seamless links across early learning and the early grades;
5. Positioning children for meeting expectations of the Common Core State Standards;
6. Addressing the summer slide;
7. Linking new digital technologies to learning;
8. Improving family health and nutrition;
9. Leveraging community partnerships; and
10. Adding capacity to early learning networks

The Indianapolis area has world-class library and museum resources available to parents. The Children’s Museum, the Indiana State Museum, the Indiana Historical Society, Conner Prairie Interactive History Park and the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Libraries offer several great resources to residents, as well as opportunities for other organizations to partner with these institutions to support early learning.