The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
Awards $100,000 to
The Children's Museum of Atlanta
ATLANTA
– April 16, 2013 –The Arthur M.
Blank Family Foundation has generously given The Children's Museum of Atlanta a
two-year, $100,000 grant in support of its two community-based outreach
programs, Connected Learning…Connected
Communities and Access It! In their sixth year, these community programs
fulfill a great need for outreach and educational programs in
specific Atlanta
neighborhoods. The Arthur M. Blank
Family Foundation has been essential to The Children’s Museum of Atlanta’s
ability to fulfill its mission through partnerships
with these communities.
The Connected Learning...Connected Communities outreach program was
created in 2007 and provides educational programming that is intimately woven
into the fabric of seven Atlanta neighborhoods: Pittsburgh, Adair
Park, Mechanicsville, Vine City,
Boulevard, Old 4th Ward, and English Avenue. Each month, The Children’s
Museum of Atlanta’s Imaginators – their dedicated troupe of professional actors
and educators – visit with children at 26 participating schools and child
development centers to share enlightening and fun educational content that
aligns with the Georgia Performance Standards.
A strong emphasis on literacy is incorporated into the programs.
A “Museum in a Box” customized curriculum
toolbox is delivered to each school involved in Connected Learning…Connected Communities. These teacher toolkits
enable children to experience the life lessons and learning skills incorporated
in each of the Museum’s feature exhibits. Each “Museum in a Box” is developed
based on the Museum’s feature exhibit learning concepts and is complete with
curriculum plans and materials. Free admission for field trips and events and
free transportation to the Museum aboard The Children’s Museum of Atlanta’s bus
– Imagine It! Express – is available to the Connected
Learning…Connected Learning schools and child development centers.
The Museum’s Access It! program provides free and
reduced Museum admission to low-income families and Title I schools. The
program increases access to high-quality early learning opportunities in school
settings for children from low-income families. It also provides an experience
that can strengthen family bonds and provide a safe environment for play and
learning.
Like children's museums
throughout the world, The Children’s Museum
of Atlanta exists to
support the very simple but profound truth that young children learn through
play. The Museum offers children the opportunity to use all of their senses in
a unique and interactive way, while developing their knowledge and
understanding of Reading,
Social Studies, Math, Science, Language, and the Arts. Together, these specific
outreach programs typically reach more than 28,000 children annually. In
addition to regular visits and curriculum materials, the Museum provides play
and learning sessions and cultural experiences for children and their families.
“Through these programs, the
Museum has taken the concept of outreach to a deeper level, reaching not only
young children, but the adults in their lives as well,” says Jane Turner, executive
director of The Children’s Museum
of Atlanta. “Thanks to
the generous support from The Arthur M. Blank Foundation, the Museum will
continue outreach and community partnerships that ensure children of all
backgrounds and abilities will find ways to play and learn about the world in
which we live.”
“The Museum provides unique,
entertaining, and educational programming for young minds to explore,” said
Blank Foundation President Penelope McPhee. “As leaders in early childhood
education, children's museums engage infants, toddlers, and children through
play to help foster critical thinking and creativity. Exhibits and programs
provide children with tangible interactions that challenge them to accomplish
small and large feats.”
To capture the special
partnership with The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, The Children’s Museum of Atlanta, and the Connected Learning…Connected Communities program, the Foundation
recently produced a “Stories of Impact” video that illustrates the deep
connection that has been built between these community neighborhoods and the
Museum. To see more about this partnership and its impact: http://youtu.be/jRn3Vxzgtl8
About The
Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation promotes positive change in
peoples’ lives, builds, and enhances the communities in which they live. The
Foundation seeks innovative solutions that enable young people, families, and
communities to achieve results beyond what seems possible today. Formed in
1995, the Foundation invests in early childhood development, education, green
space, and the arts, and leads giving programs for each of the Blank Family of
Businesses, including the Atlanta Falcons.
The Children's Museum of Atlanta is a smart place to
play and a non-profit organization offering a family-friendly space filled with
interactive, educational exhibits and programming for children ages eight and
under. The Museum’s mission is to spark imagination and inspire discovery and
learning for all children through the power of play. The Museum’s four
permanent learning zones consist of bright, creative, hands-on exhibits that
are designed to give children an opportunity to learn through play. The
Children's Museum
of Atlanta also offers
parties, memberships, field trips, summer camp, and private events.
For
more information or to support The Children's Museum of Atlanta,
visit their website at www.childrensmuseumatlanta.org or
call 404.659.KIDS [5437].
Museum hours: Monday through Friday
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Admission:
Ages 1 to 100: $12.75 plus tax ; children
under 1 are free. The Museum is located in the Lucky Marietta District at 275
Centennial Olympic Park Drive NW Atlanta,
GA 30313.
Funding for The Children’s Museum of Atlanta
is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners under the guidance of
Fulton County Arts & Culture.
