Maybe you saw our signs last week asking, “Are you a brain builder?” or maybe you saw the little yellow feet that tracked a path from PlaySpace into Peep into Countdown to Kindergarten? Or maybe, a Boston Children’s Museum staffer handed you a button to wear after they observed you having a meaningful moment with your child.
Last week was officially the Week of the Young Child and we planned a Brain Building in Progress campaign to help raise awareness of the importance of the first few years of a child’s development to their future success – and our region’s future workforce and prosperity. And then some bombs went off. We spent the week providing a safe haven for young children and their families as our Boston community dealt with the anxiety and fear that hung over our city. Brain building didn’t really matter. Hugging mattered.
But this week, as we continue the hugging and healing, I’d like to bring your attention back to our Brain Building in Progress theme. The campaign was launched in 2011 by the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley and the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care. We love this campaign because its message is about what we do every day at Boston Children’s Museum – engage children in joyful discovery experiences that instill an appreciation of our world, develop foundational skills, and spark a lifelong love of learning. In other words, build brains! Join our collective brain building this week as we restore joy to Boston Children’s Museum.
The Power of Play 
So well said. We stop for hugs, then life goes on even stronger.