Please Touch Museum Programming Aims To Fill Education Gaps
By Cherri Gregg
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Please Touch Museum has a number of programs that fill the gaps in early education left due to recent budget cuts.
Many elementary schools in the Philadelphia area have been forced to cut extracurricular literacy and arts programs, so Leslie Walker, the museum's vice president of community learning, says the museum has stepped up its community programming in those areas to give children the early opportunity to play and dream.
"They're learning vocabulary, there's an art activity. The kids do creative dramatics where they may dress up. There's singalongs."
There are also free or inexpensive opportunities to visit the museum, such as Target first Wednesdays, when families can visit from 5pm to 7pm on the first Wednesday of the month for $2. There are also learning programs for parents, such as the "Passport to Kindergarten" program on March 24th.
"They can learn more about the kindergarten registration process, they take a tour of a real kindergarten classroom," notes Walker. "There will be kindergarten teachers available to talk to parents and show the kids around the classroom."
For more info on the Passport to Kindergarten program or to register, call 215-578-5136 or send an e-mail to passport@pleasetouchmuseum.org.
