[East Meredith, February 11, 2016] Hanford Mills Museum has been awarded a $5,000 grant to develop content and interactive educational activities for young children. The Mini-Grant, from the New York State Council on the Arts, is administered by the Museum Association of New York.

Consultant Kathryn Boardman, a founder and principal of The Cherry Valley Group, will work with Museum staff to research, create and design engaging, educational and interactive content and activities for the Museum’s new Learning Lab. This project will broaden the resources offered to young children and their families visiting the Museum, and also enhance and create new relationships with local schools, day care programs, and early childhood experts. The Learning Lab will enable visitors to explore topics such as contemporary renewable power generation, sustainability, ingenuity, and problem solving.

“Our goal for the new Learning Lab is to introduce young children to key STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) concepts in a meaningful, fun and engaging way.  We are grateful to the Museum Association of New York and the New York State Council on the Arts for this grant which will help us achieve this important goal,” says Liz Callahan, executive director of Hanford Mills Museum. “We look forward to working with Katie on this project.”

The Learning Lab, which will have solar panels installed on the roof, will open in the summer.

Mini-Grants are offered to help museums and historical societies strengthen and develop their institutions and work with their communities. These grants are designed to make it easy for organizations to access professional help and improve their institutions. To learn more about these grant programs, visit the Museum Association of New York’s website at www.manyonline.org or contact the Museum Association of New York, by email at [email protected] and by phone at 518/273-3400.

About Hanford Mills Museum

Hanford Mills Museum operates an authentic water- and steam-powered historic site, which includes a sawmill, gristmill and woodworking shop. The mission of Hanford Mills Museum is to inspire audiences of all ages to explore connections among energy, technology, natural resources and entrepreneurship in rural communities with a focus on sustainable choices. The museum, which is listed on the National and New York State Registers of Historic Places, will open for the 2016 season on May 15.

Hanford Mills is located at 51 County Highway 12 in East Meredith, at the intersection of Delaware County Routes 10 & 12, just 10 miles from Oneonta, and 15 miles from Delhi.  For more information, visit www.hanfordmills.org or call 607-278-5744.

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For more information, please contact:  Liz Callahan, Executive Director, Hanford Mills Museum, 607/278-5744, [email protected]