Sunnylands Center & Gardens has been awarded the 2024 Superintendent’s Award for Excellence in Museum Education.

The Superintendent’s Awards for Excellence in Museum Education competition is a joint project between the California Association of Museums (CAM) and the California Department of Education (CDE). This year, CAM received fourteen entries from a diverse range of institutions, representing the significant contributions museums make to California’s K-12 educational system.

This year, Sunnylands is one of six California institutions receiving the award.

The program for which CAM/CDE selected Sunnylands Center & Gardens as an award-recipient is the Art and Wellness Through Nature workshop, developed in partnership with the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE). Since 2022, this program has aided Riverside County-based K-12 teachers in processing their own emotional awareness, trauma healing, and resilience-building through various conversation models and engaging with nature and artmaking alongside their fellow professionals in the serene setting of the Sunnylands Center & Gardens.

Offering multiple opportunities for teachers each year, the program accommodates 25 registered participants to spend time with certified facilitators in a private setting with the goal of allowing teachers to express themselves in a supportive environment that can help create connections that they can carry forward into their professional lives.

RCOE recently reported that this program is the first in its history of engagement workshops to receive a 5/5 survey result on every survey they received.

Sunnylands receives no revenue for this program or payments for staffing or supplies. Artists and facilitators are paid through RCOE.

The Superintendent’s Award plaques will be presented during the 2025 CAM Conference in San Francisco, on February 18-21, 2025. Award-winners will also participate in a moderated panel to discuss and share their program with the greater museum community.

The Superintendent’s Award for Excellence in Museum Education competition recognizes the outstanding achievements in California museum programs that serve K-12 students and/or educators. The competition is the joint project of the sponsors, the California Association of Museums (CAM) and the California Department of Education (CDE). Since 2012, the competition has recognized 66 programs, presented by a diverse range of institutions that demonstrate the vibrant contributions museums make to California’s K-12 educational system.