Suozzi and McCarthy Announce Expanded Range of Community Access Programs at Long Island Children’s Museum

Federal Grant Will Allow Museum to Partner With the Nassau County Department of Health and Human Services and the Nassau County Family Court

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Garden City, NY- With stronger families as the goal, the Long Island Children’s Museum (LICM) will expand its range of Community Access programs to support children and families served by Nassau County social service agencies.  The innovative new program, Be Together, Learn Together, is funded through a federal Museums for America grant, issued by the Institute of Museums and Library Services (IMLS). LICM was one of only 12 Children’s Museum’s nationally to receive the prestigious IMLS grant this year.

Specifically, Long Island Children’s Museum will partner with Nassau County Health and Human Services and the Nassau County Family Court to enhance the preventative and support services provided by these agencies.  This innovative collaboration between social service and cultural organizations in Nassau County will improve the lives of children in their shared community.

The Be Together, Learn Together plan capitalizes on the momentum of Nassau County’s “No Wrong Door” program and the proximity of the partnering institutions.  Established in 2005, “No Wrong Door” consolidated the county’s eight health and human services departments into one facility (“Health and Human Services Welcoming Center”) at 60 Charles Lindbergh Blvd in Uniondale; a short walk from the Children’s Museum. 

Shortly after the Welcome Center opened, members of the “Sharing Success Group” – a collaborative from HHS, Family Court and the County Attorney’s office – approached the Children’s Museum to discuss ways to work together for families engaged with Child Protective Services; Preventative, Foster Care and Adoption Services; Family Court programs, as well as the visitors seen daily at the Center. The Children’s Museum’s expertise in providing high-quality educational experiences and parent education programs was identified as an important resource to help serve target audiences, including :

 

• Child Protective Services receives approximately 5,800 calls each year; investigations of these charges result  in 1,560 cases requiring ongoing services.
• On average 470 children are placed in Foster Care annually. 
• More than 140,000 people came through the doors of 60 Charles Lindberg last year; among them many parents and children.
• Last year Family Court handled 26,000 cases.

 “Be Together, Learn Together represents the best of public/private collaboration,” notes LICM Executive Director Suzanne LeBlanc. “As neighboring institutions, with shared interests in providing children with safe environments to learn and grow, this program will allow us to provide meaningful and needed support at critical times to families in need.” 

The $147,750 Museums for America matching grant will help support the development and implementation of programs, such as:

• Workshops designed for children and parents incorporating activities that facilitate modeling of parenting skills;
• Seminars for foster parents;

• Supervised visitation at the Children’s Museum;
• Museum outreach programs at the HHS Welcome Center
• Facilitated roundtable discussions for parents in Family Court
• Museum memberships for Foster and Adoptive families.

In addition, the Children’s Museum’s exhibition staff will design and install interior design enhancements for the HHS Welcome Center and Family Court day care center.

Be Together, Learn Together expands on programs developed between Family Courts and Children’s Museums in Providence, RI and Philadelphia focusing specifically on family visitation services.  Planning and development of the Be Together, Learn Together program will be guided by the input and expertise of a National Advisory Committee, including representatives from these sister institutions.   Program evaluation will be conducted by The Institute for Learning Innovation of Annapolis, MD.

"This grant is a great honor for the Long Island’s Children’s Museum", said McCarthy. "They have proven time and time again their commitment to Nassau County’s children and I cannot think of a more deserving recipient. The Long Island Children’s Museum has been on the cutting edge of child development and has been leading the way in integrating public family services with local education. As Chairwoman of the Congressional Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, I understand the importance of this partnership. I have met with groups from across the nation, and I can honestly say that the Long Island Children’s Museum is one of the best organizations out there helping our children. I am excited to see these Federal dollars coming back to Long Island."

“This is a great example of how private and public institutions can work together to improve the lives of children most in need,” said County Executive Suozzi. “The Long Island Children’s Museum has been enriching children’s lives for more than a decade and we are thrilled to be working with them on this program as part of our No Wrong Door initiative.”

In announcing the grant, Dr. Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, said, “Museums for America grants invest in our nation’s communities by supporting museums as active resources for lifelong learning, cultural heritage and community engagement.  The programs and activities these grants support include hands-on educational programs, innovative use of technology, and ground-breaking partnerships.  All help to strengthen museum services and improve communities.” 

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17, 500 museums.  The institute’s mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas.