Press Release: LeBlanc Provides Congressional Testimony

House Examines Role Museums & Libraries Play in Strengthening Communities

Long Island Children’s Museum Executive Director Suzanne LeBlanc appeared before the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities of the Committee on Education and Labor of the U.S. House of Representatives today. The bipartisan hearing examineed the unique role that museums and libraries play in strengthening communities.

The invitation to address the subcommittee was issued by Chairwoman Carolyn McCarthy and Ranking Member Todd Platts. LeBlanc, a seasoned museum professional, has 34-year’s experience in the children’s museum field. She shared details about the Children’s Museum’s innovative collaboration with the Department of Social Services and Family Court to served children and families in need. Through the Be Together, Learn Together program, the Museum offers weekly outreach programs at the Nassau County Department of Social Services Building (Welcome Center) for children and families waiting to be seen, provides free museum passes to caseworkers, as well as families served by the Welcome Center, holds monthly awareness days at Museum to promote interest in the County’s foster care program, developed plans for a re-design of the Center’s supervised visitation rooms and utilizes the Museum’s fun, learning environment for supervised visitations.

The innovative collaboration taps into the museum’s demonstrated strengths as a major provider of educational enrichment services to underserved audiences, as well as a trusted resource for strong parent/child education programs. Be Together, Learn Together, is funded through a federal Museums for America grant, issued by the Institute of Museums and Library Services (IMLS). The Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities has jurisdiction over the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which has guided the development of this hearing.

Joining LeBlanc at the hearing were:
• Dr. Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Director, Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
Washington, District of Columbia;
• Mary Clare Zales, Deputy Secretary of Education, Commonwealth Libraries & Commissioner for Libraries, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania;
• Anna Nunez, Executive Director, Arizona Health Science Library Librarian, University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona;
• Dr. Eric Jolly, President, Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota.

About the Long Island Children’s Museum
Long Island Children’s Museum (LICM) invites visitors of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to explore freely, discover their passions, and appreciate the communities and world we share. Through interdisciplinary activities, children and adults can share in the excitement of the learning process. LICM is committed to providing an enjoyable museum experience for all of its visitors. All of the museum’s exhibits are wheelchair accessible. Designed for infants through 12 and their grown-ups, LICM is a private, not-for-profit institution chartered by the New York State Board of Regents.
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Press Contact: Maureen P. Mangan
Direct Line: 1-516-224-5828