CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approve the award of RFP 20-290, Naper Settlement Distance Learning, to Night Kitchen Interactive for an amount not to exceed $160,500 and for a one-year term
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DEPARTMENT: Naper Settlement
SUBMITTED BY: Harriet M. Pistorio, COO
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
The mission of the Naper Settlement (NS) is to provide immersive and innovative learning opportunities to all. Throughout the 13-acre, 31-building museum campus, visitors experience exploratory learning incorporating museum-educator led tours and programs.
In 2019, NS had over 132,000 visitors, of which 35,000 were schoolchildren and teachers from 390 schools across 80+ school districts in northern Illinois. In March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on-site school programs, as well as the museum's public programs and special events, were halted in compliance with state mandates and CDC guidelines. Although the museum re-opened in July with self-guided mobile tours, exhibits, and small-group guided tours, all programs are continuing to operate at reduced visitor capacity and state health and safety restrictions have resulted in school field trips being curtailed.
As an important provider of informal learning, NS educational programs are designed to augment classroom learning and tie directly to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Learning Standards. Museum education trends and conversations with local teachers made it obvious that NS needed to pivot to reach audiences where they are right now, whether in the classroom or at home. The ISBE Starting the 2020-21 School Year recommends, "pursuing virtual activities and events in lieu of field trips" until field trips are safe to resume.
The museum's Learning Experiences team selected two current programs, Living History and The Underground Railroad in Northern Illinois, and a third, new program featuring historic narratives about how communities practice resiliency in challengi...
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