ABSTRACT
Museums have a long history as institutions seeking to serve, include or, in many cases, exclude, groups and individuals from the treasures housed within their gallery walls. To better understand the relationship between children and museums, it is helpful to acknowledge the evolution of the museum audience and examine the current state of affairs of twentieth-century museums and their visitors. Education has been a core value for most museums since their early days. Over time and with recognition of their critical link to society writ large, museums adopted new responsibilities as social institutions. By the end of the twentieth century, individual museums in certain sectors of the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom were experimenting with programs for early learners, children five and under. As museums grow in their knowledge and acceptance of children as visitors, it is time to more fully examine a broader context for understanding children in museums.
