Grant helps museum redesign Young Explorers areas

The youngest visitors to DuPage Children's Museum will benefit from the research, design and programming for redesigned Young Explorers areas in the Naperville facility, thanks in part to a $250,000 matching grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which provides federal support for museums and libraries across the country.

The exhibit areas are set to open in December of 2019.

"This grant and the funds that will follow it will provide us the resources to dive deeply into developing learning opportunities for infants and toddlers that meet their specific developmental needs, while offering cozier spaces that encourage conversation and interaction between children and their adult caregivers," said Kim Stull, director of exhibits and operations.

The project will help ensure children up to 3 years old have the informal educational resources they need for developing strong neural pathways conducive to learning, and help address the problem of caregivers not knowing why or how to engage their young child in playful learning.

The nearly three-year project will capitalize on the museum's facility, programs and collaboration with community-based organizations.

"In the development stage, beginning in January, we will be reviewing the goals of the exhibit and thinking through the experiences we want to create," Stull said.

The design and educational elements will be informed by observational research already underway by research partner Nicole Rivera, associate professor of psychology at North Central College, as well as current thinking of early childhood specialists, including the museum's own Alix Tonsgard.

The Young Explorers areas are designed to echo the principles of other exhibits in the museum. They begin to lay the foundation for future STEM learning in the youngest children and help caregivers feel confident facilitating and supporting that learning.

In addition to the exhibit spaces, the grant provides for development of an educational program for low-income parents and caregivers to enable them to further children's understanding of STEM fundamentals at the museum and at home, as well as training staff to use the exhibits to further visitors' and educators' experience.