The national building museum will implement and evaluate a variety of educational experiences as part of an upcoming exhibition to deepen engagement with literacy skills among k-3 grade children

The National Building Museum was awarded a $527,442 Project Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services' Museums for America (CFDA 45.301) program. The grant will enable the museum to implement and evaluate a variety of educational experiences as part of an upcoming exhibition to deepen engagement with literacy skills among K-3 grade children. The experiences will include an exhibition "sketchbook" for writing and drawing exercises, hands-on language and creative building activities throughout the exhibition, curated field trip experiences, and a community reading program for kids and their caretakers. The museum will incorporate community feedback, fabricate and install exhibit components, and hire and train educators to lead the experiences. As a result, other museums will have access to a model for museum resources that can help children recover from the pandemic, close achievement gaps, and foster critical reading and literacy skills among early learners.

The experiences include an exhibition "sketchbook" for writing and drawing exercises; hands-on language and creative building activities throughout the exhibition; curated field trip experiences; and a community reading program for kids and their caretakers. In consultation with advisors, the team will incorporate community feedback into the exhibits, fabricate and install the components, and hire and train educators to lead the experiences. As a result, other museums will have access to a model for museum resources that can help children recover from the pandemic, close achievement gaps between low-income and high-income students, and foster critical reading and literacy skills among early learners.