Sharon E. Shaffer is currently a museum consultant specializing in providing programming to younger children. Previously, she served fifteen years as Executive Director of the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center. She is the only educator ever to receive the Smithsonian Institution Secretary's Gold Medal for Exceptional Service. Shaffer regularly teaches workshop on educating young children through museums and has consulted on this topic both in the United States and abroad. She has a Ph.D. in education from University of Virginia and was on the faculty of the George Washington University Museum Studies Program.
Sharon Shaffer s detailed explanation of advances in developmental psychology and its application to constructivist educational practices as well as her extensive experience in developing programming for preschool children make this book an important contribution to anyone wishing to engage this age group in museums. From the Foreword by George Hein