Association of Children's Museums

Association of Children's Museums
Name	Association of Children's Museums
Founded	1962
Headquarters	Arlington, Virginia
Region served	International
Membership	Children's museums, professionals
Leader title	President and CEO

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Association of Children's Museums

The Association of Children's Museums is a nonprofit membership organization serving San Diego Children's Discovery Museum, Boston Children's Museum, Children's Museum of Indianapolis, Please Touch Museum, and other institutions that focus on informal learning for young people. It provides professional development to staff from institutions such as Exploratorium, Smithsonian Institution, Brooklyn Children's Museum, The Strong National Museum of Play, and New York Hall of Science, while advocating with policy actors like United States Congress, UNICEF, UNESCO, and World Health Organization for child-focused cultural services. The association connects networks across regions including North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America through collaborations with organizations such as Association of Museums and Galleries, International Council of Museums, Council of Europe, Save the Children, and MacArthur Foundation.

History

Founded in 1962 amid a postwar expansion of museum initiatives, the association grew alongside institutions like Brooklyn Children's Museum (established 1899), Boston Children's Museum (1913), and Children's Museum of Indianapolis (1925). Early decades saw partnerships with foundations including Carnegie Corporation, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to professionalize exhibit design and visitor services at centers such as Children's Museum of Houston, COSI (Columbus, Ohio), and Minnesota Children's Museum. In the 1980s and 1990s, the association expanded training programs influenced by practitioners from Exploratorium and scholarship at institutions like Harvard Graduate School of Education and Bank Street College of Education. The 21st century brought digital strategies and global exchange programs involving UNICEF, World Bank, USAID, and networks such as The Asia-Pacific Network of Museums (APMN) and European Museum Academy.

The association's mission emphasizes access for families and caregivers at venues like Children's Museum of Manhattan and Discovery Cube Los Angeles, workforce development with partners such as American Alliance of Museums and Museum Association (UK), and research collaborations with universities including University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers University, University of Michigan, and University of British Columbia. Its activities include convening annual conferences attended by delegations from National Air and Space Museum, National Museum of Play, Science Museum (London), and Deutsches Museum, publishing best practices used by institutions such as Please Touch Museum and Imagination Station (Toledo), and curating networks that align with funders and policymakers at Institute of Museum and Library Services and National Endowment for the Arts.

Membership spans municipal and private institutions including Strong National Museum of Play, Children's Museum of Memphis, The Magic House, and international sites such as Singapore Science Centre and Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. Governance is overseen by a board with representatives from leading museums like Boston Children's Museum, academic partners such as Columbia University Teachers College, and philanthropic organizations including Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Lilly Endowment. Executive leadership models draw on sector peers like American Alliance of Museums and Association of Zoos and Aquariums, with advisory councils that include professionals from National Council of Nonprofits, Association of Fundraising Professionals, and Council on Foundations.

Signature programs include professional development institutes inspired by exhibit innovators at Exploratorium and Science Museum Group, accreditation and standards initiatives aligned with ISO, research consortia with Johns Hopkins University and Stanford Graduate School of Education, and touring exhibit exchanges seen with partners like Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Initiatives address inclusion at sites such as Children's Museum of Atlanta, digital learning pilots in collaboration with MIT Media Lab, and early childhood engagement strategies developed with Zero to Three and National Association for the Education of Young Children. The association also facilitates conferences attracting presenters from Royal Society, European Commission, National Science Foundation, and Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Funding derives from membership dues, philanthropic grants from organizations such as Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and corporate sponsors including Target Corporation, Lego Foundation, and Toshiba. Public partnerships have involved agencies like Institute of Museum and Library Services, National Endowment for the Arts, USAID, and municipal cultural offices in New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The association has brokered project partnerships with educational publishers such as Scholastic Corporation, technology firms like Google, Microsoft, and Apple Inc., and foundations active in child welfare including Annie E. Casey Foundation and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The association has influenced public policy debates at legislative bodies including United States Congress and European Parliament on issues affecting children's access to cultural institutions, contributed to research cited by National Academy of Sciences and OECD, and supported disaster response and recovery for museums after events like Hurricane Katrina and 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami through networks with Smithsonian Institution and International Committee of the Red Cross. Its advocacy campaigns have mobilized colleagues at American Library Association, National PTA, Child Welfare League of America, and Save the Children to advance equitable access, inclusive programming, and professional standards adopted by member institutions such as Children's Museum of Houston and Discovery Place.