Betty Brinn Children’s Museum is Chosen as 2019 Grant Recipient by the Institute of Museum and Library Services

MILWAUKEE, WI – (Sept. 25, 2019) — The Betty Brinn Children’s Museum has been chosen by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to receive funding from the Department of Education, allowing an expansion of the Museum’s Maker Initiatives through community engagement.

The Museum is among seven recipients to be awarded funding. The national project will equip children’s museums and science centers with making activities, resources, tools, and training, enabling them to train up to forty 21st Century Community Learning Centers across eight states, with the goal of reaching up to 1,000 students. A new survey, part of the third-party evaluation, will assess the outcomes of the project, including changes in interest, skills, and behaviors related to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and making among youth participants.

“This multi-layered, cross-sector collaboration brings together the best possible resources from children’s museums, science centers, and afterschool providers,” said Paula Gangopadhyay, deputy director of museum services for IMLS. “By leveraging collective learning and making significant programmatic improvements, we are looking forward to impacting more than double the number of underserved students than before.”

“The Betty Brinn Children’s Museum is honored to partner with the New York Hall of Science and IMLS to help introduce underserved youth in Milwaukee to inspirational STEM- and making-based activities,” said Brian King, executive director of the museum. “Ensuring that area youth have access to quality STEM education opportunities is a Museum priority, and we look forward to working with our 21st Century Community Learning Center partners to help children build aptitudes and interest in STEM disciplines that can support their academic and personal growth.”

The Betty Brinn Children’s Museum will partner with designated 21st Century Community Learning Centers in the Milwaukee area, including Allen-Field Elementary School, Cass Street School, Riverwest Elementary School, and Escuela Vieau. Each center will receive a six-hour program that will be implemented in fall 2019 and spring 2020.

This project supports IMLS’s strategic plan goals of promoting lifelong learning, building capacity, and increasing public access. For more information, visit imls.gov.

About Betty Brinn Children’s Museum

The Betty Brinn Children’s Museum is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing hands-on educational experiences that foster school-readiness and help children acquire fundamental cognitive, social-emotional and physical skills during their formative years. The Museum is committed to educating adults about the profound influence of early learning on a child’s success throughout life, and ensuring access by all children and families in the community. For more information, visit bbcmkids.org and brinnlabs.org.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.