Meet the Staff. ALL of Them!

This post about our most recent all staff meeting was contributed by Carole Ann Penney, assistant to the director of education.

Last Thursday, Museum staff, AmeriCorps members and volunteers gathered for an All Staff Meeting. Staff meetings may be dreary at other places, but here at Providence Children's Museum they are a special treat!

It’s surprisingly tricky to get us all in the same room at the same time - with AmeriCorps members serving at after school programs across Providence and neighboring cities, staff members working on different projects with different schedules and always needing to keep the exhibits staffed by Experience Coordinators and Play Guides, we are certainly a busy bunch! Three or four times every year we gather together at 7:30am (before the Museum opens to the public) to share our successes, update each other on what we’re working on and look ahead at what’s to come.
At last week’s meeting, we had a lot to celebrate! Here are some highlights:

• Breaking all attendance records! Janice, Executive Director, shared that in 2009 we had 167,264 visitors – 20% more than have ever visited before. Over a third of those visitors came to the Museum at no cost.

• Expansion of our PLAY message! We’ve been spreading the message that play is important through our PlayWatch listserv, this blog, and community events around Rhode Island. The New England Museum Association awarded us with its first ever “Leaders in Innovation Award” for our work to share “The Power of Play.” And the message continues to spread! Megan, PR & Marketing Manager, informed us that our 9th and 10th community screenings of the film “Where Do the Children Play” are in the works for the upcoming months.

• Families Together is growing! Heidi, Director of Families Together, introduced some new members of the Families Together staff as they expand their support to children and families through the “Fostering Connections” federal grant. The award was made to a coalition of 10 RI social service agencies and will help our staff connect kids whose parents aren’t able to take care of them with extended family members.

• New exhibits are coming! Chris, Exhibit Developer & Fabricator, warned that there will be lots of excitement to see in The Children’s Garden in the coming months – cranes and work trucks as The Climber is assembled, and furniture and exhibit components coming together in the new Underland exhibit. He said the best view will be from the ramp to the second floor!

• And many more! Take a peek at our wall of things to celebrate…

Want to know more about the Museum staff? See them in their playful natural habitat in our new staff Facebook album, created by AmeriCorps member Turenne. She did a terrific job collecting interesting facts and silly photos - check it out and let us know what you think!