Building a National Network Project

In 2019 we were awarded a Cooperative Agreement with the Institute of Museum and Library Services for the expansion of our School Readiness through Partnerships Project that had served as a model for organizing states around improving early childhood education. The project was Building a National Network of Museums and Libraries for School Readiness.

In collaboration with the BUILD Initiative Boston Children’s Museum engaged in a national effort to advance state work on behalf of young children, families and communities over 3 years. Together with participating museums and libraries the Museum maintained and improved Massachusetts’ existing networks; scaled pilot efforts pilot efforts in Charleston South Carolina and Richmond Virginia; launched new grassroots museum and library networks in Coralville Iowa, Gulfport Mississippi, and Santa Fe New Mexico. Boston Children’s Museum worked with state teams through site visits, conference calls, webinars and leadership institutes, bringing states together to learn and share from each other. Individual institutions strengthened their knowledge and skills for reaching out and serving families, including low income and hard-to-reach families. The Educational Development Center (EDC) served as the third-party evaluator for the project documenting the progress and testing the effectiveness of the model in building institutional to serve all families in their regions.

Two resource guides were produced as part of the project. The Beneficiary Voice guide outlined the steps in the process for designing, implementing and debriefing with families to learn about their concerns for their young children.   65 Ways to Connect with Families identified goals for connecting with families with young children highlighting the value of working with a broad network of partners to support these efforts.