For more information contact: Shane Rhinewald, The Strong, srhinewald@museumofplay.org;
ROCHESTER, NY—Generation Two (G2), a not-for-profit that delivers child-directed play into area classrooms, will merge with The Strong National Museum of Play. G2, which was founded in 2002 by psychologist Dr. Bruce Gilberg, provides one-on-one play experiences to kindergarten students in eight classrooms at select Greece, East Rochester, and Rochester schools. (Prior to the pandemic, G2 delivered programs in 24 classrooms for kindergarten through second grade.)
“G2 has long been a local leader in the field of play experiences and in helping children grow socially and emotionally through the power of play,” says Steve Dubnik, president and CEO of The Strong. “Their mission aligns perfectly with The Strong’s, and through this merger, the museum will be able to deliver more crucial play content directly into schools across the region and positively impact children in the classroom.”
G2’s current staff will become employees of The Strong and continue to oversee the volunteers specifically trained to deliver play experiences. Each experience includes 30 minutes of one-on-one, child-directed play time meant to better position the child for academic learning, increase emotional strength, provide social awareness and self-management skills, and increase motivation to learn and explore. The G2 team will join The Strong’s existing public programs team and have access to the museum’s educators, relationships, and resources to grow the program.
“I have been proud to be part of G2 for 20 years and have seen firsthand the thousands of children and hundreds of wonderful volunteers who have been positively influenced by its programs,” says Dr. Gilberg. “The Strong National Museum of Play is an international leader in the world of play studies and a community cornerstone, so merging with the museum will allow the G2 program to grow exponentially, provide critical skills to more children, engage more volunteers, and create deeper community relationships.”
The merger has been approved by The Strong’s board of trustees and G2’s board of directors and will be presented to New York State for final approval. The two organizations will operate under a shared service agreement until then.
To learn more about G2: G2Rochester.org
To learn more about The Strong: museumofplay.org
Acknowledgement
The Strong and G2 would like to thank United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes (UWGR-FL) Synergy Fund and The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) for funding the work of the New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON), which has helped to make this merger a success.
About The Strong
The Strong is the only collections-based museum in the world devoted solely to the history and exploration of play. It is home to the International Center for the History of Electronic Games, the National Toy Hall of Fame, the World Video Game Hall of Fame, the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play, the Woodbury School, and the American Journal of Play and houses the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of historical materials related to play.