Difficult Knowledge and Children’s Museums: Programming, Practices, and Principles across the United States and Canada

This report presents the findings of a survey of over 100 children’s museum directors, educators, learning specialists, and curators at work in museums across the United States and Canada. The survey was developed in consultation with the museum community, with a focus on programming and practices that use storytelling to represent social issues and difficult knowledge with children. Findings point to the importance of children’s museums in supporting children’s self-expression and exploration as well as the value of storytelling practices to activate curiosity and promote empathy for diverse perspectives and experiences. Children’s age and developmental readiness appears to remain a major factor – and a challenge – in efforts to represent diverse and difficult knowledge. Often, programming topics addressing socio-historic events were reserved for older children while programming for younger children were less likely to engage these topics. Variations were also identified across national borders, suggesting the impact of shifting political landscapes on programming topics, pedagogical practices, and inclusive strategies. Still, the topic of historical violence and colonialism was marginal in both Canadian and US programming.

While museums offer and utilize a range of professional development resources and supports, respondents articulated concerns and challenges. These included concerns about adapting and presenting materials to young audiences, establishing relationships with diverse communities, ethical concerns about telling other people’s stories, and resistance or conflict raised by visitors in response to museums’ efforts to engage diverse topics that were considered difficult or inappropriate for children. Other identified challenges included how social identity and history – and in particular race privilege and the implication of museums in colonial legacies – can create obstacles in making connections to community, representing diverse topics, and engaging families and children themselves. Recommendations point to the need for continuing efforts to diversify programming (particularly with younger children), including the need to diversify representation among museum educators, directors, and staff, and to create and care for communities of practice guided by principles of allyship and solidarity. Read the research brief here.

An enhanced-contrast version of the report is available for those who prefer or benefit from enhanced visual clarity, including readers who use screen readers or engage with content differently.