The association of children's museums will conduct a research project to investigate promising practices for virtual programs offered by children's museums

The Association of Children's Museums will receive $535,980 under a Project Grant award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services' National Leadership Grants program (CFDA 45.312) to conduct research and develop tools to support the virtual programming efforts of children's museums. Specifically, the Association will partner with research firms to collect data from museums and stakeholders on virtual programming needs, analyze museum assets, and identify best practices. Findings will inform a professional development tool outlining effective virtual program design. Additionally, the Association will release 18 reports sharing research findings and develop a framework for an online platform allowing museums to share and access virtual programs. The resulting data, tools, and resources aim to ensure children's museums can meet community needs through virtual offerings. The three-year project runs from September 2022 through August 2025.

Project activities, conducted in partnership with two research firms, will include collecting data from children's museums to assess virtual programming assets as well as from parents, caregivers, and educators to identify audience needs. Findings will inform the creation of a professional development tool that identifies key aspects of effective virtual programs. Throughout the project, the team will disseminate research findings through a series of 18 online reports. The project team also will develop a wireframe of an online platform where children's museums can share virtual programs with one another and the public. The project will result in data and tools that children's museums can use to ensure that their virtual programming best meets the needs of their communities.