Young V&A to invest Art Fund Museum of the Year prize money in early-years community programme

This article was first published by the Museums Association.

Young V&A, the children’s museum in east London, was announced as the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2024 at an awards ceremony in London’s National Gallery.

Co-created with children from early years to teens, the venue is intended to be the “most joyful museum in the world”, offering young people a space to imagine, play and design. It features almost 2,000 toys, characters, objects and artworks on display from around the world and across history.

Young V&A director Helen Charman said the museum would use the prize money to build on its community programme for early-years providers. The institution will work in partnership with caregivers, artists, museum professionals and early years educators to expand its work in this area and create new cultural and playful learning experiences.

“We recognise the positive impact creative experiences in early years has on young people’s futures – and that’s why we’ll be investing the prize money in founding a creative network and programme for early years providers along the Thames Estuary, where a higher proportion of children live in low-income households than the England average,” she said.

@UK_ICOM