Chicago Children's Museum - The State of Play
Julianne Chiu
Published: April 27, 2011
As an institution dedicated to the education and well-being of children and families, Chicago Children’s Museum (CCM) believes strongly in the role of play as an essential experience for children’s healthy development. This past year, CCM undertook a unique initiative, Communities at Play, aimed at better understanding parent and educator beliefs about the role of play in children’s lives, and the issues that hinder or support it.
As part of the initiative, parents, educators and childcare providers from across the city participated in a survey and subsequent play workshops developed by CCM. The community members’ insights and observations about children’s play, along with CCM’s expertise in early childhood development, became the content for a special report, The State of Play in Chicago’s Communities. The Communities at Play initiative is a prime example of the impact that our community members have when they come together to exchange insights and work on a shared mission. The report was distributed to parents, educators, legislators, administrators and key stakeholders in the fields of education and child and family welfare.
We encourage you to share the report with your colleagues, and to help us build a larger, stronger community of advocates for play. You can access the report at http://www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org/StateofPlayWEB.pdf or contact nancyp@chicagochildrensmuseum.org .
Posted in Community Highlights