Discovery Center receives $168k grant for pre-K programs

May 21, 2021 - MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Discovery Center at Murfree Spring announced it is the recipient of a three-year $168,000 grant for pre-K programs to encourage play and foster science skills and social-emotional learning. The grant was awarded as part of the Building Foundations for Parent and Child Engagement (PaCE) from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Discovery Center was one of 109 awardees selected from a pool of 345 applications. The PaCE grant will engage children ages 3-5 and their parent/caregiver in strategies that help these young children’s lives in preparation for kindergarten.

“Play is essential to children’s cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being and can foster children’s resilience to hardship,” said Dale McCreedy, PhD, Discovery Center’s vice president of audience & community engagement. “We are thrilled to have this opportunity to share our expertise and resources to leverage the power of play with families less familiar with us. We are also eager to learn about ways Discovery Center can better serve our community’s earliest learners and their influential adults.”

Programming for the PaCE grant will include sessions at five local community sites over the next two years, involving at least 10-20 adult participants with their pre-K children, in addition to establishing local advisory boards to help sustain these efforts with Discovery Center’s collaboration. By leveraging the museum’s experience in mobile outreach, extensive pre-K programming, and transportable exhibits, parents and children can engage where they live in play and exploration aligned with children’s developmental ages. These programs – coupled with other long-term efforts by Discovery Center – will benefit from community input to help shape future undertakings.

“This project aligns with Discovery Center’s commitment to offering quality early learning experiences both in the museum through its exhibits and programs as well as in the community, by moving very intentionally outside the museum’s walls and sharing exhibits and programs in new ways and with new audiences where they live and play. In partnership with Read To Succeed and Murfreesboro City Schools Family Resource Center, sites will be identified and experiences provided that will connect books, portable exhibits, and partner expertise. Additionally, Discovery Center is passionate about better understanding the assets, barriers and opportunities of local underserved and under-resourced families in order to better support the learning and development of all early learners.” McCreedy added.

For more information about Discovery Center’s programming related to the PaCE grant, visit www.explorethedc.org/pace.

About the Discovery Center
The Discovery Center at Murfree Spring is a hands-on, environmental, cultural and educational museum located in the heart of Middle Tennessee. More than 120,000 children and families visit annually, exploring exhibits and participating in programs that promote STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts & math) education. Adjacent to the Center is the protected Murfree Spring wetlands, a natural habitat for a variety of fish, amphibians and birds. Located at 502 S.E. Broad Street in Murfreesboro, TN. For more information, visit www.explorethedc.org or call (615) 890-2300.

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