Change and enhance the Children's Discovery Museum (CDM) School Service Program (SSP) with additional program staffing and new interactive exhibits II

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2017 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$137,750
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
Children's Discovery Museum
Recipient Type
Non-Profit Business/Entity
Status
Completed
Start Date
September 2016
End Date
August 2017
Activity Type
Education/Outreach/Engagement
Counties Affected
Aitkin
Beltrami
Carlton
Cass
Clearwater
Crow Wing
Hubbard
Itasca
Koochiching
St. Louis
Aitkin
Beltrami
Carlton
Cass
Clearwater
Crow Wing
Hubbard
Itasca
Koochiching
St. Louis
Project Overview

The Children's Discovery Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota will strengthen its acclaimed school service program by: (1) continued leadership of a new Program Director retained on January 1, 2016 (2) creating a new (Minnesota built) core interactive exhibit; (3) developing new curriculum for pre-school through 3rd grade students in ten northern Minnesota counties.

Legal Citation / Subdivision
2015 Minn. Laws, Chap. 2 Art. 4 Sec. 2 Subd. 8
Appropriation Language

$950,000 each year is for arts and cultural heritage grants to children's museums.Of this amount, $500,000 each year is for the Minnesota Children's Museum, including the Minnesota Children's Museum in Rochester; $150,000 each year is for the Duluth Children's Museum; $150,000 each year is for the Grand Rapids Children's Museum; and $150,000 each year is for the Southern Minnesota Children's Museum.Note: Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) informed all granting agencies that the February 2016 Legacy budget forecast identified deficits in the current biennium in the Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. 3% of all grantees' allocations are being held back until additional forecasting has been completed. This includes a reduction in the administrative fees taken by the Minnesota Humanities Center.

2017 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$137,750
Number of full time equivalents funded
3
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

1)    School teachers rate the design and age appropriateness of new interactive exhibits with an average score of 4.20 or higher (5 being the highest score and 1 being the lowest).2)    School teachers rate the value of new exhibits as helpful in meeting education goals for their students with an average score of 4.20 or higher.3)    All teacher evaluation scores on a series of four questions are rated with an average score of 4.10 or higher.4)    School program enrollment grows by 2 - 5% over the previous school year.5)    Walk-in attendance grows by 2 - 5% over the previous year.6)    Two-to-three new schools enroll for the very first time.7)    Twenty-to-thirty schools enroll their students for the second year in a row.8)    The membership roster grows by 20 - 30 households.9)    CDM educators make personal visits and presentations at 4 to 6 teacher staff meetings and multi-district workshops.10) E-mails and e-newsletters are sent to area school principals and teachers once-a-month.

Measurable Outcome(s)

The average rating score from parents, grandparents, and chaperones was 4.50.School Service Program enrollment grew by 26% over the previous academic year. An additional 961 participants - 787 students, 117 schoolteachers & 57 chaperones.Walk-in attendance grew by 16% - 1,364 more participants.Three schools enrolled for the very first time: South Ridge Elementary in Culver/Pine County, Bay View Elementary in Duluth/St. Louis County and Explorations Home Group in Grand Rapids/Itasca County.46 schools enrolled their students for a second year in a rowThe membership roster grew by 84 new household, grandparent and extended family annual memberships. Current memberships now stand at 419.CDM educators made personal visits at 4 grade-level meetings and multi-district workshops.

Project Manager
First Name
John
Last Name
Kelsch
Organization Name
Children's Discovery Museum
Street Address
2727 US Highway 169 South
City
Grand Rapids
State
Minnesota
Zip Code
55744
Phone
218-326-1900
Email
director@cdmkids.org
Administered By
Administered by
Location

987 Ivy Avenue East
St. Paul, MN 55106

Phone
651-774-0205
Email the Agency