Fort Worth Museum of Science and History

As the largest provider of informal STEM education in Tarrant County, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History will offer virtual and in-person education supports for Tarrant County schools and families for the upcoming school year. These STEM educational activities assist students in their growth within science education and careers, and provides necessary resources for teachers. Unfortunately, COVID-19 will still be with us when students return to school in September, and with it, uncertainty.

Our primary goal is to continue to provide education supports to 50,000 students during the school year.
Our second goal is to provide Museum experiences to over 40,000 guests during the year.

The Museum will remain flexible to accommodate potential changes. The new school year will be unlike any other year in Fort Worth history, but the Museum is preparing to meet these challenges.

As of now, we plan to offer both in-person and virtual learning supports for students, teachers, afterschool programs, and parents in Tarrant County. We may need to pivot from in-person to virtual instruction multiple times during the school year. Our responses will be guided by local and state health and safety guidelines, best practices, and what is requested by our community education partners.

Out-of-school education programs still play a critical role in the PreK-12 ecosystem. As the Museum's educational programs and collaborations change to meet community needs, this grant will provide vital support in areas such as staffing, exhibit and class materials, utilities, and operational equipment. With this generous gift, the Museum will be able to offer a high level of programming, and staff the early childhood, and student programs with the committed, experienced employees necessary to fulfill program outcomes. Your support ensures our Museum and educational programming continues to be available to all Tarrant County children even during a pandemic.

As a hands-on, informal learning environment, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is facing a substantial change in service delivery in light of COVID-19. In response to Governor Abbot's restrictions regarding touchable museum components, we have undertaken a significant, unplanned redesign of some of our permanent galleries. This costly transformation was not anticipated by our FY20 budget, finalized last September. In place of hands-on activities, we have designed and developed a series of artifact-based educational exhibitions in the 8,000 square feet of the six Innovations Studios. However, to retain our Museum's acclaimed interactivity, we have been investing in new technology solutions to keep students engaged. Instead of touchscreens, we're implementing contactless proximity sensors. Rather than continue face-to-face tours, we've created a new audio guide accessible from our website. In place of field trips enjoyed by tens of thousands of local students, we're developing an engaging virtual field trip program that will continue to allow classes to engage with the Museum's exhibits safely.

These changes—which enable the Museum to continue its mission of inspiring future generations of scientists, engineers, and innovators across Tarrant County—come at a substantial cost that coincides with a steep drop in our revenue. We are considering closing the Museum to the public during the week so that that individual school groups can limit exposure to others.

For those schools seeking on-campus enrichment, our overarching priority will be the health and safety of students, teachers, staff, and the community. The Daytime STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Festival is a change in service delivery necessary due to public safety requirements related to COVID-19. For over ten years, schools have relied on the Museum's popular evening Family STEAM Festivals at the affordable price of $750 to increase student interest and engagement in STEM. These programs serve mostly Title One schools. Our Family STEAM Festivals reach 10,000 students during a typical school year.

Founded in 1941 by a group of forward-thinking, female educators, the Museum first opened its doors as the Fort Worth Children's Museum. In 1968, the Museum officially changed its name to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History to demonstrate its service to guests of all ages. In 2006, to keep up with community demand and create more space for expanded programming, the Museum launched a campaign for a new building – an innovative work of architecture designed by the world-renowned architect Ricardo Legoretta. Thanks to generous gifts from the community, construction began in fall 2007, and the new Museum opened to the public in November 2009. Each year, more than 400,000 children and adults visit the Museum to explore a diverse menu of science, history, and humanities programming, including the Charlie Mary Noble Planetarium, Children's Museum, Omni Theater, permanent and traveling exhibitions in our galleries, and Innovation Studios.