Creative Discovery Museum

CREATIVE DISCOVERY MUSEUM (CDM) WILL FABRICATE THE LITTLE FARM HOUSE EXHIBIT (LFHE) FOR CHILDREN AGES 0?5 IN ORDER TO OFFER THEIR YOUNGEST VISITORS AGE-APPROPRIATE, HANDS-ON, STEM-FOCUSED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES. SINCE ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY EARLY LEARNING ACTIVITIES IS IMPORTANT FOR BRAIN DEVELOPMENT AND LONG-TERM ACADEMIC SUCCESS, CHATTANOOGA 2.0?THE COMMUNITY?S INITIATIVE TO TRANSFORM PUBLIC EDUCATION-PLACES A HIGH PRIORITY ON IMPROVING BOTH ACCESS TO AND THE QUALITY OF EARLY LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS. THE MUSEUM WILL USE VARIOUS METHODOLOGIES FOR EVALUATION, INCLUDING TIME AND TRACKING, BEHAVIOR MAPPING, OBSERVATIONS USING AN OUTCOMES CHECKLIST, AND INTERVIEWS. TO GAIN CONTINUOUS FEEDBACK AND INPUT ON THE LFHE PROJECT, CDM LEVERAGES PARTNERSHIPS WITH MULTIPLE LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS AND AN LFHE ADVISORY GROUP.

CREATIVE DISCOVERY MUSEUM WILL ESTABLISH A TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM DESIGNED TO MEET THE CAREER DEVELOPMENT NEEDS OF STAFF. THE PROGRAM WILL INCLUDE THREE TRAINING TRACKS THAT USE IN-PERSON, VIRTUAL, AND PRE-RECORDED FORMATS. THE THREE DIFFERENT TRACKS WILL FOCUS ON STAFF ORIENTATION, CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND SECURITY; JOB-SPECIFIC TRAININGS; AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND LEADERSHIP. PART-TIME STAFF WILL BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN 40 HOURS OF TRAINING ANNUALLY, AND FULL-TIME STAFF WILL BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN 80 HOURS OF TRAINING ANNUALLY. THE MUSEUM WILL HIRE A STAFF PERSON TO COORDINATE THE TRAINING PROGRAM. A STAFF ADVISORY COUNCIL WILL WORK WITH THE MUSEUM’S LEADERSHIP TEAM AND A CONSULTANT TO PLAN AND DEVELOP COURSES. OF THE CREATIVE DISCOVERY MUSEUM ACADEMY RESULTING FROM THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE A ROBUST EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM TO HELP THE MUSEUM’S STAFF ACHIEVE THEIR CAREER DEVELOPMENT GOALS.

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

CREATIVE DISCOVERY MUSEUM WILL CREATE AN INDOOR/OUTDOOR, NATURAL SCIENCE GALLERY DESIGNED FOR CHILDREN AGES 2 TO 12. NAMED “UNEARTHED,” THE GALLERY WILL INCLUDE EXHIBITS ON FOSSIL LAYERS, DINOSAURS AND PALEONTOLOGY, VOLCANOS AND VOLCANOLOGY, EROSION AND WEATHERING, ENTOMOLOGY, AND INSECTS. IT WILL OFFER HANDS-ON, EXPLORATORY EXPERIENCES IN NATURAL SCIENCE FOR CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES. THE NEW SCIENCE GALLERY WILL ALIGN WITH STATE EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS, PROVIDE MORE INTERACTIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCES, AND INTRODUCE CHILDREN TO REAL ELEMENTS INCLUDING DIRT, WATER, AND SAND IN AN OUTDOOR EXHIBIT THAT REINFORCES THE CONCEPTS PRESENTED INSIDE THE MUSEUM.