Barnes Foundation

The Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia will facilitate a museum-community partnership program supporting a vulnerable population of emergent English language learners ages 3–5 and their families from South Philadelphia’s Latinx immigrant community. This program is especially critical due to disruptions in early childhood programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. In collaboration with community partner Puentes de Salud and the School District of Philadelphia’s Southwark Community School, early learners will connect with art at the Barnes as a launching point for gaining biliteracy skills and developmental readiness for kindergarten. This engagement will include weekly online classes led by bilingual teaching artists, monthly home delivery of books and art supply kits for teaching units, bi-monthly recorded story times, and routine family calls to support at-home literacy strategies.