PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT: The MV Museum was awarded $219,138 to equip a classroom dedicated to youth education in the Museum’s new location at the Marine Hospital campus in Vineyard Haven. The Classroom will host visiting groups from Island schools and preschools, as well as the Museum’s summer programs for children, serving as a nucleus for the study of Island history. MVYouth funds will purchase furniture and shelving, IT, audio and visual equipment and other materials necessary to transform the Classroom into a teaching and learning space.

MVYouth Advisory Board members and Trustees praised the Museum’s education programs, which currently engages children through classroom visits to the elementary, middle and high schools and on field trips to their Edgartown campus. The Museum’s education programs have built effective collaborations with Island schools, preschools and other non-profits to deliver state-mandated curriculum to children PK-12. The Museum’s education staff work closely with classroom teachers to support grade level requirements while teaching Island history.

Museum educators teach over 200 classes per year to Island school children, reaching 1,150 students annually, free of charge. Additionally, through summer programming and community partnerships, the education programs reach another 175 seasonal children. The Museum projects expansion of their education programs in the new space, with expanded numbers of school field trips and collaborations with other Island non-profits. Their goal is to reach each of the 1,800 students in the Island school system.