Bay Area Discovery Museum brings research division in-house
Sausalito, CA – The Bay Area Discovery Museum (BADM) today announced the consolidation of its research division, the Center for Childhood Creativity (CCC), into the BADM brand. The work previously under the purview of the CCC will now be the responsibility of the new Research, Evaluation, and Innovation (REI) department at BADM.
This consolidation empowers the talented staff of early childhood experts who previously worked for the CCC to focus on the early learning research that will have the deepest and longest-lasting impact on the children of the Bay Area, as well as on the field of early learning as a whole. The nature of the work–transforming the latest research findings on how children learn into innovative practice–will not change.
This move comes at a time when BADM is making significant investments in its research-backed exhibits. As the result of an $18.5 million capital campaign, BADM will open four new exhibits on its Fort Baker campus. The institution’s early learning research findings informed the design of each exhibit and the interactive activities each exhibit will feature. This will empower BADM’s more than 350,000 visitors–including 10,000 member families and more than 80,00 visitors who receive free or reduced admission–to have fun engaging with age-appropriate early learning concepts, and is just one example of how the work of BADM’s REI department will inform the museum’s visitor experience.
Consolidating the research of the CCC within the BADM brand allows institutional leaders to combine their knowledge, expertise, and resources to share findings and insights with a variety of engaged audiences, including museum visitors, educators, media, and local and national industry peers. BADM’s REI department will continue to publish translational research papers; host outside researchers on-site at the museum; and support BADM’s other departments to incorporate the latest early learning research into their own work, including curriculum development, grant writing, marketing materials, and more.
One current project will involve the REI staff overseeing the expansion of the former CCC’s Reimagining School Readiness Toolkit, in partnership with the California State Library and the Pacific Library Partnership. The Toolkit prepares librarians to share research-backed early learning experiences with families in their communities. The Toolkit, which has been piloted at libraries throughout California, will expand to 18 states and 51,000 librarians, caregivers, and children over the next three years.
“Creating the new Research, Evaluation, and Innovation department at BADM is an important investment in the BADM brand,” said BADM CEO, Karyn Flynn. “Research is at the core of the BADM brand — it is in our mission, and is the thread throughout all of the work we do at the museum, at our on-site preschool, and in the broader Bay Area community. This move illustrates that, and emphasizes our commitment to the translation of research into innovative practice that moves the field of early childhood education forward.”
In the next few months, BADM’s institutional website will be redesigned to reflect this change in its brand. All of the online resources previously published by the CCC will continue to be available for free on the new BADM site.
For any additional information or questions regarding this consolidation, please contact BADM’s Communication Manager Joanna Kauffmann at JKauffmann@badm.org.
About the Bay Area Discovery Museum
The Bay Area Discovery Museum is a children’s museum in Sausalito that applies the latest research to develop early learning experiences that inspire and build creative problem-solving skills in children, transforming the way they learn and the way they contribute to the world. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the museum provides STEM-focused, inquiry driven experiences that develop creativity and conceptual thinking, critical components of problem solving. BayAreaDiscoveryMuseum.org