Transform Consulting Group highlights the capacity of museums and libraries as an often overlooked resource that supports 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 libraries and museums support 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 use 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:
- Increasing high-quality early learning experiences;
- Engaging and supporting families as their child’s first teachers;
- Supporting the development of executive function and “deeper learning” skills through literacy and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) based experiences;
- Creating seamless links across early learning and the early grades;
- Positioning children for meeting expectations of the Common Core State Standards;
- Addressing the summer slide;
- Linking new digital technologies to learning;
- Improving family health and nutrition;
- Leveraging community partnerships and
- 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 residents several great resources and opportunities for other organizations to partner with these institutions to support early learning.
United Way of Central Indiana hired Transform Consulting Group to help expand its ReadUP program for grade-level reading through a partnership with AmeriCorps. Is your organization looking for new, effective ways to partner with existing community resources? Contact Transform Consulting Group today for a consultation!
