Phyllis Taylor Announces $1M Patrick F. Taylor Foundation Gift To LCM's Early Learning Village Campaign
NEW ORLEANS – Phyllis Taylor has announced a $1,000,000 gift from the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation to support the Louisiana Children’s Museum’s Early Learning Village Campaign.
The announcement was made at a rare gathering of the Museum’s founding board members and current leadership, and on the heels of the Louisiana Children’s Museum receiving the 2015 National Medal for Museum and Library Service – the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries for service to the community.
“When the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation started its efforts in education, it was focused almost entirely at the university level,” Phyllis Taylor said. “As we continued that effort, particularly working to see that the TOPS opportunity continues to be available, we have come to realize the great need for early childhood development. The decision to support the Louisiana Children’s Museum’s Early Learning Village Campaign was an easy one. This is a unique concept that brings many aspects of early childhood development together under one umbrella, providing assistance to adults, parents and teachers to expand its impact.”
The Louisiana Children’s Museum’s Early Learning Village campus will be located in New Orleans City Park and serve as a social, cultural and learning resource for young children from birth to age eight and their families. The project will include the unprecedented collaboration of multiple children’s organizations coming together in a single location in support of children, families and early childhood educators throughout the region.
“For nearly three decades, the Louisiana Children’s Museum has unleashed the potential of millions of children through interactive, play-based learning experiences,” said Julia Bland, Chief Executive Officer of the Louisiana Children’s Museum. “The Patrick F. Taylor Foundation gift is an investment in future and well-being of children and families throughout the region and additionally serves as affirmation of our vision from the region’s premier supporter of educational opportunities for Louisiana’s children and youth.
At its future location in City Park, the Louisiana Children’s Museum will feature interactive exhibit galleries as well as indoor and outdoor educational programs that weave experiences in STEM, literacy, health and wellness, arts and culture, and environmental education. The 8.5 acre site will also host a literacy and documentation center, parent and teacher resource center, nature center, and an edible garden, kitchen and café, among other features.
The Louisiana Children’s Museum project is on schedule to open in 2018 in time for the celebration of the 300th birthday of the City of New Orleans.
The Louisiana Children’s Museum is the primary resource in the state of Louisiana developed specifically for young children and their families and open to the public. The Museum, located at 420 Julia St., offers 30,000 square feet of exhibit space and educational programs and promotes hands-on participatory learning for children of all ages. Encouraging discovery through observation, inquiry, creative construction, role-playing, problem-solving and free play, the Museum motivates children to develop their cognitive, physical and social skills while enjoying fruitful interaction with adults and peers.
