Afterschool/Out-of-School

Libraries and museums help our communities support children's learning and development.

MacArthur Foundation logoPartnership: Learning Labs
In support of President Obama's "Educate to Innovate" call to action, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services are working together to create 30 new youth learning labs in libraries and museums across the country.

Partnership: National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards
Formerly Coming Up Taller, these awards recognize outstanding community arts and humanities programs that celebrate the creativity of America’s young people by providing them with learning opportunities and chances to contribute to their communities.

Search the Awarded Grants database for grants to afterschool/out-of-school programs (issue areas have only been assigned to grants awarded since FY 2009)

Afterschool/out-of-school content on the IMLS Web site:
Let's Move! logo
Learn How Your Museum or Garden Can Join the First Lady’s Initiative

April 17, 2013 02:18 PM
IMLS will host a free webinar to provide ideas and advice for museums and gardens that wish to participate in the First Lady Michelle Obama’s Lets Move! initiative. Read More

 
National Student Poets Celebrate Poetry Month Across the United States

April 12, 2013 09:00 AM
The five teenage National Student Poets serve as literary ambassadors for poetry. They are helping to celebrate National Poetry Month by spreading the word about their craft at workshops and events around the country. Read More

 
Video Game Design Is More Than Writing Code

March 18, 2013 12:55 PM
Webinars show museums and libraries how to get youth involved in the National STEM Video Game Challenge. Read More

 
Girl reading books in library
Blog Post: Meeting the Needs of 21st Century Teens

May 3, 2013 12:32 PM
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Summit on Libraries & Teens was the first conversation point in a yearlong National Forum that continues with a virtual town hall meeting on May 21. Read More

 
Blog Post: The Power of Nature in Garfield Park

April 3, 2013 03:59 PM
In this video, community member Tiara Livingston and Director Eunita Rushing discuss how teen programs at the Garfield Park Conservatory inspires and educates youth in the community. Read More

 
Blog Post: Caring about Kindergarten at the Long Island Children’s Museum

March 27, 2013 09:51 AM
A bilingual summer program at the Long Island Children’s Museum helps children of immigrant families prepare for kindergarten. Read More

 
Students from the Borough of Manhattan Community College CLIP program at the Rubin Museum of Art in Manhattan
October 2012: Where to Learn English? A Museum Of Course


Art museums can be excellent English literacy classrooms. An innovative program that partners university and community college ESL programs with New York City art museums is finding that works of art generate excellent discussions for students of English. Read More

 
Children participating in a Learn and Play program learn their ABC’s.
September 2009: Bringing Books and Literacy to the People


Sometimes the parents and children who would most benefit from library services are the ones who haven’t established the habit of visiting libraries. That’s what the Henderson District Public Libraries in Henderson, Nevada, discovered when planning a comprehensive early literacy program involving the whole community. The solution? Bring books and classes to the people. Read More

 
Children participate in PlayWorks™ at the Children's Museum of Manhattan
January 2009: PlayWorks™ Provides Whole-family Learning In a Child-friendly Environment


Children feed alphabet letters to a talking baby dragon, drive a New York City fire truck, paint on a six-foot art wall, and crawl through a challenge course in PlayWorks™ at the Children's Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) in New York. Read More

 
cover of Museums and Libraries Engaging America's Youth
Museums and Libraries Engaging America’s Youth: Youth Practitioner's Guide


Created for museum and library practitioners who are building, or wish to build, strong programs to reach and engage youth, this guide contains a variety of resources and references to critical works that have been gathered from the fields of youth and community development, education, and informal learning. Read More

 
cpver of Talking Points: Makerspaces
Talking Points: Museums, Libraries, and Makerspaces


Quick summary of makerspaces -- hands-on, mentor-led learning environments to make and remake the physical and digital worlds -- in museums and libraries. Read More