Growing Healthy Museums
A Good to Grow! project, Growing Healthy Museums is funded by a two-year 21st Century Museum Professionals grant from the Institute of Museums and Library Services (IMLS). Growing Healthy Museums is a comprehensive effort to increase children’s museums’ institutional ability to promote and improve health and wellness in the communities they serve.
The Growing Healthy Museums project includes three major components: an institutional self-study and recognition program; a best practices publication of health programs, exhibits and services at ACM member museums; and a post-conference session at InterActivity 2008 and toolkit focused on building healthy community partnerships. These three components complement one another; however, they also represent multiple points of entry for museums at various stages of development and levels of experience around this topic.
Becoming a Good to Grow! Museum
When ACM launched the Good to Grow! health initiative, a frequently asked question was "How can we become a Good to Grow! museum?" The concept of creating a benchmarked, thoughtful tool that would help museums assess and identify themselves as a healthy places to play has been on the Good to Grow! program plan from the start. ACM was able to move the project forward upon receiving the Growing Healthy Museums grant from IMLS in Fall 2007.
Now ACM is in the midst of developing an online self-study tool that will help children's museums identify existing healthy practices and infuse new ones throughout their operations. Upon successful completion of the self-study, a museum will be officially recognized as a “Good to Grow! Museum.” Research, development and focus groups with museum professionals helped shaped the self-study, which is being prototyped at six museums this winter.
The final self-study tool will be available to all ACM members via the Good to Grow! Web site in spring 2009.
Healthy Partnerships Build Healthy Communities Workshop
April 26, 2008 - 12:30-4:45 pm - Denver, CO
As communities mobilize around children's health, children's museums are becoming part of the solution through partnerships with recreation centers, social service agencies, universities and hospitals. Despite their transformative power, strong partnerships require time, resources and effective communication on both sides. Whether a museum is part of a systemic partnership or working with one partner, this workshop offered inspiration and straightforward tools to pave the way to success.
Speakers: Kimberly Perry, Alliance for a Healthier Generation/William J. Clinton Foundation * Lisa Franco, American Heart Association-Local * Jessica Luke, Institute for Learning Innovation * Mike Turpin, United Healthcare, Northeast Region * Chris Walker, Local Initiatives Support Corporation * Rachel Anderson, Discovery Center at Murfree Spring * Carol Brennan-Smith, Stepping Stones Museum for Children * Liz Hufford, American Heart Association-National Center * Marilee Jennings, Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose * Nora Moynihan, Port Discovery, the Children’s Museum in Baltimore
This session featured keynote speaker, Chris Walker, plus two dynamic panels of partnership pros from museums, community organizations, corporations and health care fields. Participants enhanced their skills for cultivating health-related partnerships in their communities and worked with the dynamic presenters to develop partnership models and tools.
Click here for a PDF of the day's schedule and list of speakers.
Growing Healthy Museums Working Group
A Working Group, comprised of representatives from five children’s museums, is providing ongoing guidance for the project, reviewing the self-study tool and development process and serving as the program committee for the Healthy Partnerships Build Healthy Museums post-conference session at InterActivity 2008.
The Working Group is comprised of representatives from museums of diverse sizes and geographic regions, including The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Minnesota Children’s Museum, Children's Museum of Tacoma, Children’s Discovery Museum and Stepping Stones Museum for Children. ACM is honored to be working with this dynamic group of museum professionals. Click here for a list of the Working Group members.