Participants Selected for CAE 2010 Parents As Arts Partners

The Center for Arts Education (CAE) announced today that thirty New York City public schools -- located across all five boroughs -- have been selected as 2010 Parents As Art Partners Program (PAAP) participants. As part of the program, CAE will support the participating schools' arts education activities for parents and families.

Each school that participates in this unique family arts program engages parents in hands-on, interactive arts education activities with their children, including workshops with teaching artists and school arts teachers, as well as visits to cultural organizations. For example, in 2009, students and their parents at PS165 M learned nautical-themed art making, while at PS 366 they learned to create three-dimensional giraffe sculptures for the school garden. A series of percussion workshops held at PS75Q taught participants to experience different sounds created by several kinds of African instruments.

CAE expects that the 2010 program will reach more than 2,900 students and their parents.

For 2010 the program has been redesigned in an effort to more fully integrate PAAP with CAE's current public engagement and advocacy efforts. Of the thirty schools selected, twenty are first-time PAAP participants, and ten participated in the program last spring. These ten schools will be paired with the new PAAP schools, to promote an exchange of knowledge, experience and information. Qualitative/quantitative metrics will be put in place to track the arts as a vehicle to build parent engagement. The ten second-year schools will also benefit from coaches supplied by CAE to help build and engage their parent communities and foster arts education advocacy skills as an integral component of their PAAP program.

"Our newly revitalized PAAP program allows CAE to expand the legacy and reach of our teaching and learning programs, while building a constituency of engaged parent advocates as champions for the arts in their children's education," said Richard Kessler, executive director, The Center for Arts Education.

PAAP was created in 1998 to provide families with school-based quality arts programming in partnership with New York City's diverse cultural institutions. The
program was developed, in part, in response to research that demonstrated the positive impact of parental involvement on a child's success in school, and the effectiveness of the arts as a means of cultivating that involvement.

Every PAAP program is distinct and seeks to build community by addressing a school's individual needs, encouraging participation and engaging parents who might otherwise limit their in-school involvement due to barriers of language, culture or work commitments. In addition to providing quality arts experiences for students and their families, these collaborative programs channel direct support to NYC artists and cultural organizations, to develop customized, family-focused arts activities that connect to the school's curriculum and allow parents to experience first-hand a variety of art forms.

"Our PAAP program was a creative and fun way to engage our parents in their children's learning," said parent coordinator Margaret Sheri, PS 102. "Thanks to The Center for Arts Education we were able to reach out to over 40 parents, many of whom have not been involved at the school, and make them champions for the power of the arts in their children's education."

"The PAAP extension provided by the Center for Arts Education has given us the opportunity to reach out to more families and build upon our previous success," said Sophie Scamardella, principal, PS 65. "Our parents are excited about the opportunity to once again work with their children and discover the powers of arts education together," she said.

Since establishing the program in 1998, CAE has invested in 1,230 PAAP programs in 535 schools. These schools have partnered with organizations ranging from theater companies, dance organizations and museums, to universities and community groups.

Parents As Arts Partners (PAAP) is generously funded by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the Staten Island Foundation, The New Yankee Stadium Community Benefits Fund and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, as well as by grants provided through elected officials in the New York State Senate and the New York City Council, including: Councilmember Letitia James (Council District 35); Councilmember Jessica Lappin (Council District 5); former Councilmember David Yassky (Council District 33); Councilmember Domenic Recchia (Council District 47); Senator Liz Krueger (Senate District 26); Senator José Serrano (Senate District 28); Senator Jeffrey Klein (Senate District 34); Senator Eric Schneiderman (Senate District 31); Senator Thomas Duane (Senate District 29); and Senator Hiram Monserrate (Senate District 13).

About The Center for Arts Education
The Center for Arts Education (CAE) is committed to stimulating and sustaining quality arts education as an essential part of every child's education in the New York City public schools. CAE provides tools and resources to deliver quality arts learning for all children. Our innovative teaching and learning programs - fostering collaboration with teachers and school leaders, cultural and community organizations - help build arts-infused school communities. Our advocacy initiatives educate policymakers and the public about the value of arts education and a fundamental part of children's overall health and well-being. Visit www.caenyc.org to learn more about The Center for Arts Education.