Press

NEW YORK, NY: Today, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (212 West 83rd Street) announced it has been awarded a grant from Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) for $250,000 as part of Target’s ongoing youth wellness efforts.

The grant allows the Children’s Museum to expand its “health and learning hub” model to ten additional homeless shelters across the city in partnership with the Department of Homeless Services (DHS). The Museum’s health and learning hubs bring permanent museum-quality installations, graphics, and hands-on education programs focused on developing healthy lifestyles and literacy to underserved communities. To date, the Museum has installed 14 hubs in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan: eight in Head Start daycare centers, five in homeless shelters, and one at NYC’s Administration for Children’s Service intake office in downtown Manhattan. The additional ten health and learning hubs will bring the total to 24.

Over the next year, with Target’s support, in addition to transforming 10 DHS shelters, Children’s Museum staff will conduct professional development workshops for parents and shelter staff utilizing the Museum’s EatPlayGrow™ curriculum and free web resources created in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health. The curriculum emphasizes strategies for affordable, healthy living. Museum educators will conduct programs at the shelters for parents and children featuring hands-on art, literacy, music and dance that teach about good nutrition, physical activity and the importance of sleep. In addition, the Museum will host two family festivals at the Museum for all program participants.

“We are committed to helping all children thrive,” said Andrew Ackerman, executive director, Children’s Museum. “Through our many research partnerships, we strive to translate the latest discoveries in health, wellness and early learning into engaging experiences for all families. Target’s generous support allows us to expand and share this work with the city’s most vulnerable families.”

“We are grateful for our dedicated partners who share in our commitment to supporting homeless New Yorkers and strengthening access to education for children in shelter. The colorful graphics, fun interactives and programming provided by the Children’s Museum help bring to life essential messages about healthy eating, exercise, sleep and learning. We thank Target for its generous grant, allowing us to expand the Children Museum’s extraordinary program to reach even more New Yorkers in need,” said NYC Department of Social Services Commissioner Steven Banks.

“At Target, we are committed to helping make wellness a way of life for our team members, guests and communities,” said Laysha Ward, chief corporate social responsibility officer, Target. “That’s why we are excited to partner with an impressive array of organizations who are already doing such important work to make an impact in the wellness space. Together, we will help remove barriers to wellness in our communities, working to increase the consumption of nutrient-dense food and physical activity of kids and families across the country.”

The grant is part of Target’s ongoing efforts to help make wellness more affordable, accessible and inspirational for its team members, guests and communities. Target also is partnering closely with local leaders and organizations in communities around the country who are experts in youth wellness and actively working to close the wellness gap for children. These efforts are part of Target’s long history of giving 5 percent of its profit to communities, which today equals more than $4 million every week.

Initial installation of the health and learning hubs, and related programming will begin in fall of 2016. All ten hubs are expected to be complete by spring 2017.

About Children’s Museum of Manhattan
The Children’s Museum of Manhattan – a citywide resource for children, families and educators – works to ensure children thrive at home, at school and in the community. Based on West 83rd Street, the Museum creates hands-on learning environments, programs, and curricula built on evidence-based early research and the museum sciences. In addition to its commitment to delight and educate visitors, the Museum offers resources and strategies for parents, caregivers and educators to help children become lifelong learners. Thousands more New Yorkers also benefit from the Museum’s offerings through its outreach programs at schools, Head Start centers, shelters, libraries and hospitals.  www.cmom.org

About Target
Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) serves guests at 1,792 stores and at Target.com. Since 1946, Target has given 5 percent of its profit to communities, which today equals more than $4 million a week. For more information, visit Target.com/Pressroom. For a behind-the-scenes look at Target, visit Target.com/abullseyeview or follow @TargetNews on Twitter.

Contacts
Children’s Museum of Manhattan
Adam Miller (Rubenstein Communications), 212-843-8032, [email protected]

NYC Department of Homeless Services
Lauren Gray, 917-790-3890, [email protected]

Target Corporation
Jessica Stevens, Communications, (612) 761-6351
Target Media Hotline, (612) 696-3400