COMMITMENT TO RACIAL EQUITY
The Missouri Historical Society commits to a process of listening attentively to one another and leveraging best practices and resources across our organization to promote a culture of inclusion where individuals from all racial and ethnic identities; ages; nationalities; social and economic statuses; sexual orientations; gender identities / expressions; religious, political, and ideological perspectives; and abilities are able to be engaged, feel valued, and thrive. click here for the full Commitment to Racial Equity
About the Missouri Historical Society
One of the leading historical societies in the country, the Missouri Historical Society is in the midst of a transformative decade. We believe public history has the power to build stronger communities, and creating incredible experiences for our visitors is central to that work. With the help of every member of the MHS team, we're committed to expanding our efforts to share more history with more people than we ever have before.
Founded in 1866, the Missouri Historical Society operates three locations - the Missouri History Museum, Soldiers Memorial Military Museum, and the Library and Research Center. Together our locations serve as the confluence of historical perspectives and contemporary issues to inspire and engage audiences in the St. Louis region and beyond. We do that by telling local stories that focus on the history of this region and its people. This approach has led to some of the most consistently successful years in MHS's history.
We believe that when children have positive experiences visiting the Missouri History Museum, they'll grow up to be lifelong museum visitors. The Early Childhood and Family Programs team welcomes children and families and provides educational programming focused on local history, learning through play, intergenerational learning, and museum literacy. This team sits within the Education and Community Engagement (ECE) Department, which develops and facilitates a high volume of high-quality, engaging, and unique programs for diverse audiences while continually considering ways to reach new audiences.
Position Summary :
The Early Childhood and Family Programs Manager leads the development and implementation of innovative education programs that engage families, youth groups, and early childhood audiences in the museum environment, ensuring that learning is accessible and that everyone can see themselves in local history. This position oversees the History Clubhouse exhibit.
Duties / Responsibilities :
Leadership
- Recruit, supervise, and train the Early Childhood and Family Programs Coordinator, the Education and Community Engagement Coordinator, Museum Educators, and volunteers who work in the History Clubhouse and facilitate programs.
- Establish and maintain relationships with community organizations, coalitions, and initiatives and actively serve on committees that promote early childhood well-being, education, and literacy readiness within the St. Louis community (such as Ready Readers, Collective Impact's 5 by Age 5 Initiative, and Turn the Page STL).
Programmatic Expectations
Ensure delivery of relevant, engaging, accessible, diverse and inclusive mission-based experiences, educational programs and activities aimed at early childhood and family audiences. This includes supervising the development and facilitation of Early Childhood Group Programs, Early Childhood Outreach, Storytelling programs,Cuentos en Español, Museum Babies, Summer Family Fun Series, Winter Getaway, MLK Community Celebration, exhibit opening celebration workshops, and private evening events for collaborating organizations.Develop Cuentos en Español programming with outside contractors who are native Spanish speakers and work with translation companies to create content for marketing and publishing.Actively promote current menu of museum programs to families and early childhood centers in the region through direct contact.Lead the team to develop family guides to be used in permanent and temporary exhibitions.Collaborate with K-12 Programs team to develop and deliver monthly History Exploration Days.Manage collaborations with community partners for program development and delivery.Deliver education programs as needed.Report program attendance and progress regularly.Track budgets for Early Childhood and Family Programs and History Clubhouse maintenance.Collaborate with the Manager of Evaluation to monitor effectiveness by gathering and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, including attendance and other engagement metrics, for use in evaluation, audience alignment, reports, and funding proposals.Collaborate with the Philanthropy team on grant writing and reporting and on proposals to potential private or corporate donors.Contribute to exhibit and program development by actively leading and participating in exhibit teams.Collaborate with the Communications team to publish text for Early Childhood and Family Programs and the History Clubhouse on mohistory.org.Ensure Early Childhood and Family programs and the History Clubhouse are marketed through development of monthly e-newsletter mailings, History Clubhouse rack cards, and other communications.Represent the History Clubhouse and Early Childhood and Family Programs in TV, radio, and print interviews, as opportunities are available.Lead sessions at local and national educator and museum conferences representing MHS work, as opportunities are available.Skills :
Demonstrated passion for St. Louis regional history and willingness to engage in complex issues facing the region through dialogue around diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.Must be exceptionally well organized and able to work in a fast-paced museum environment with multiple projects.Experience facilitating trainings and collaborating with external partners to lead trainings.Strong communication skills both internally and with external collaborators, sponsors, and audiences.Strong background in museum interpretation.Strong background in family program development and delivery.Thorough knowledge of educational pedagogy, educational trends and the needs of early childhood educators, families, and youth groups.Ability to develop and implement programs from start to finish.Excellent customer service skills.Excellent leadership skills.Strong ability work as a member of a team.Strong ability to make sound, on-the-spot decisions that reflect changing or unexpected needs of the museum's visitors.Understanding of budgeting and ability to budget accurately and track spending.Experience working on grants preferred.Flexibility to work evening and weekend hours is required.Education and Experience :
Bachelor's degree in history or related field; certificate or Master's degree in Museum Studies desired.Deadline to Apply : Open until filled.
Please upload cover letter and resume when applying.
External job boards : Please click this link , to apply.An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer
Services Provided On A Non-Discriminatory Basis
