This year has challenged all of us in ways that we never could have imagined. In this week alone, with the global pandemic still raging, we’ve seen continued upheaval in the fight for racial justice, and lost a leading equity warrior with the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Justice Ginsburg’s life speaks to the power of imagining a better world and working tirelessly to make that vision a reality. We’ve built our learning philosophy around the principles that she embodied: resilience, adaptability, and compassion. These are the principles we must draw on now as we move into this next phase of our new normal.
We are facing a semester with amped-up virtual learning, and already kids are experiencing Zoom fatigue. At the same time, gaps are widening as those who can afford to are hiring tutors and forming learning pods. We at KID Museum are rising to meet this current educational crisis and have focused our efforts on helping kids, families, and schools navigate this unprecedented time.
Our goal is to be an enduring resource for our community, one that unleashes kids’ creative potential and empowers them with skills for the future — one that allows them to imagine a better world, and equips them with the means to make that vision a reality. Since March, we have been refining and iterating a series of virtual programs that emphasize off-screen building and on-screen collaboration, activating kids as resilient learners and creative problem-solvers, and supporting teachers in delivering engaging virtual learning.
Our newly released Annual Report, spanning from September 2019 to September 2020, begins and ends in two very different realities. But the story remains the same: it follows our commitment to delivering high-quality programming that activates students as “makers” who build agency, confidence, creative problem-solving skills, and resilience. I’m proud of what we achieved throughout the entire year, and especially proud of the way we pivoted to continue to serve our community — and in particular, those from low-income families who need us the most. Amazingly, when circumstances might have predicted otherwise, we were able to expand our reach during the pandemic, serving four times as many students than expected this past summer when we partnered with MCPS to bring multi-week virtual programming to all 27 Title I schools in Montgomery County. This, and our other successes, are due to the dedication of our partners and supporters like you. We are deeply grateful for your support.
As we move forward into the coming school year, it’s incumbent upon all of us to continue to push for meaningful learning experiences for children across our region. This is a critical moment, and we can’t let it pass by. KID Museum has been innovating to create virtual learning solutions to break free from virtual fatigue. We must seize this moment to also innovate around what learning will look like in the (near) future. We would love to hear from you about how we can continue to work together to innovate and bring our programs to scale, and partner to ensure that all kids have access to powerful creative learning experiences. Like Justice Ginsburg, we are imagining a better world, and we are working hard to fulfill that vision.
