MUMBAI: The National Children’s Museum (NCM) in the US has announced that it will work in partnership with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organisation behind Sesame Street.

The National Children’s Museum will provide Sesame Workshop a permanent museum home in the nation’s capital extending the Workshop‘s educational mission.

As part of the partnership, Sesame Street, and its characters, through interactive exhibits, educational video segments and books, will be integrated into elements of the Museum’s Early Learners gallery and incorporated in select Museum events and programming.
Additionally, Sesame Workshop will collaborate with NCM on content development, exhibits, and programme creation for the Museum’s Our World gallery, which will focus on diverse cultures and places around the globe.

Founded in 1974 as the Capital Children’s Museum, and designated by Congress in 2003 as a nationally recognised cultural and educational institution serving children and families, the National Children’s Museum will open in 2013 at National Harbor, Md. NCM is poised to become the Washington, DC area’s premier family attraction, and will be the only national museum dedicated entirely to children and their families.
 
US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan underscored the importance of museums as an educational resource for children saying, “Early childhood education is an important priority of the Administration, and we know how important supportive learning opportunities are for a child‘s development and later success in school. The National Children‘s Museum is an important leader in early childhood and elementary school-age learning programs, and I know that through this partnership with Sesame Street, they will continue to be at the forefront both regionally and nationally. As Americans, we believe our children can achieve anything, and now more than ever before, the National Children‘s Museum will be, indeed, a special place to realize that dream.”

National Children’s Museum President and CEO Kathy Dwyer Southern said, “The National Children’s Museum and Sesame Workshop share not only a similar mission, but a similar story — both organisations have been making a difference in this field for forty years and are committed to engaging with kids and their families in new ways that are educational, inspiring, and lead to a better future. Our mission is to inspire children to care about and improve the world. We believe great things will stem from this partnership and look forward to working together on behalf of kids, their families, and their communities across the nation.”

Through 2013, NCM will continue its outreach to nearly 200,000 kids each year by operating its Launch Zone, located at National Harbor, which is open free of charge seven days a week and offers children and their families a chance to see and engage with prototype exhibits and programs, as well as regional and national outreach programmes with other partners across the country and online at www.ncm.museum.