Early Childhood STEAM Partnerships

Project Overview
 

Adult and young child with water droppers using Early Explorations activity.

Toolkit of professional learning resources and hands-on activities for museums and community-based early childhood programs supporting STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) learning for children ages 0-5.

Museums paired with early childhood program partners will collaborate within a cohort of their peers to plan, develop, and implement early STEAM programs while growing a reciprocal partnership. This project will build field-wide capacity to address early childhood needs by strengthening local partnerships and connecting museums with effective, evidence-based resources.

 

Project Products 

  • Professional learning community cohorts of museums paired with community-based early childhood program partners
  • Framework and best practices for how Early STEM Learning supports interest and engagement
  • Hands-on activities that model best practices
  • Guidance for developing equitable partnerships between museums and community-based early childhood programs
  • A digital toolkit and online workshops will be made widely available to reach additional practitioners and enrich early childhood and family learning across the museum field throughout the United States.

 

Project Goals

  • Reach practitioners at museums and community-based early childhood programs who support STEAM learning for children ages 0-5
  • Provide in-depth peer-to-peer training for professionals committed to supporting early STEM learning in their communities
  • Share resources to build and sustain equitable partnerships between museums and community-based early childhood programs
  • Develop an ongoing learning environment to support and foster this work

 

Timeline

  • 2026 - 2027: Phase 1 - Toolkit Development
  • Fall 2026 - Fall 2027: Phase 2 - Professional Learning Community (Cohort A) 
    • 5 museums paired with community-based early childhood program partners
  • Fall 2027 - Fall 2028:: Phase 3 -  Professional Learning Community (Cohort B) 
    • 25 museums paired with community-based early childhood program partners
  • 2028 - 2029: Phase 4 - Dissemination
    • Dissemination of the toolkit and professional development online workshops


Project Partners

  • The project is led by
    • Sciencenter, Ithaca, NY
  • Project team members include
    • Tompkins Community Action, Ithaca, NY
    • NISE Network
    • Arizona State University
  • Project evaluator
    • Museum of Science, Boston
  • Cohort A 
     5 museums paired with community-based early childhood program partners
    • Arizona Science Center, Phoenix, AZ
    • Children’s Creativity Museum, San Francisco, CA
    • Children’s Museum of Houston, TX
    • Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, PA
    • Discovery Lab, Tulsa, OK
  • Project advisors
    • Dr. Maureen Callanan, University of California, Santa Cruz, Professor of Psychology
    • Dr. Marianella Casasola, Cornell University, Professor of Psychology & Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs
    • Dr. Erin Jant, Western Kentucky University, Assistant Professor of Psychology
    • Dr. Rae Ostman, Arizona State University, Research Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society
    • Rebecca Parlakian, ZERO TO THREE, Senior Director of Programs
    • Scott Pattison, University of Notre Dame, Assistant Director of Evaluation and Research at the Center for Broader Impacts
    • Jennifer Rehkamp, Association of Children’s Museums (ACM), Senior Director of Field Services and Research
    • KT Todd, Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, Director of Learning and Research
       

Opportunities 

  • Both new and existing NISE Network museum partners located in the United States are invited to apply to participate in Professional Learning Community (Cohort B) (25 museums paired with community-based early childhood program partners)
  • The competitive application process will be based on demonstrated experience or interest in serving children ages 0-5. Applications are anticipated in spring 2027
  • Toolkit materials will be available to all for free download in 2028
  • Professional learning online workshops in 2028 and 2029, available to attend at no charge.
Young child using water dropper to mix colors in Early Explorations activity.

More Early Childhood Resources
 

 

Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) logo

Acknowledgements 

The Network for Early STEM Learning: Supporting Early Learning with Field-Wide Resources project is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Grant Number 21MP-258337-OMS-25.