oston Children’s Museum has always believed in building bridges to the world outside the Museum. Soon after its founding in 1913, the Museum created branch museums throughout the City of Boston, enabling children who were unable to visit the Museum in Jamaica
Plain to experience its programs and exhibits. Today the Museum’s influence extends even further into different Boston neighborhoods through programs such as $1 Target Friday Nights and the BNYMellon CityACCESS Teen Ambassador program.

One of the best examples of the Museum’s initiative to expand the border of its impact into different Boston communities is the GoKids! in Boston Neighborhoods program. The program, the result of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, allows staff members to reach out to communities underserved by the Museum and teach them about the importance of exercise and making healthy nutritional choices. The program hopes to educate children and their families about the wealth of educational and entertainment opportunities that Boston Children’s Museum offers.

Beginning in September 2007, museum educators chose four pilot Boston Housing Authority (BHA) developments (Washington Beech in Roslindale, Old Colony in South Boston, Gallivan in Mattapan, and Charlestown in Charlestown) to focus on for the program. During the first year of the program,
Museum educators, along with six BNYMellon CityACCESS Teen Ambassadors, developed activities for children and provided resources for adults to teach community members the importance of health and wellness. They consulted with resident associations, task forces, Resident Health
Associates, after-school agencies, and other community representatives in each development to determine the main focus of each individual program. Museum educators and Teen Ambassadors then created programs that used the Museum’s health and core content resources in ways that reflected the needs and interests of participating families.

At the conclusion of each development’s 6-week program, participants were invited to Boston Children’s Museum to enjoy a family fun night in the Kid Power exhibit. Every family that attended at least three of their GoKids! in Boston Neighborhoods events received a free one-year family membership to the Museum. Several families that participated in the program have now become active members of the Museum.

In FY 2009 Boston Children’s Museum educators will return to the same four developments to continue the program based on feedback from the previous year.