The Kennedy Center Selects Las Vegas for Any Given Child

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has chosen Las Vegas as the fourth partner city for Any Given Child, a program that creates a long-range arts education plan for students in grades K-8. The program will incorporate existing resources of the Las Vegas school system, along with those of local arts organizations and the Kennedy Center to create a plan for arts education specific to Las Vegas. The city joins partnerships in Sacramento, California; Springfield, Missouri; and Portland, Oregon.

Any Given Child seeks to bring access, balance, and equity to each child's arts education, using an affordable model that combines the resources of the school district, local arts groups, and the Kennedy Center. With the assistance of expert consultation services provided by Kennedy Center staff and other professionals, community leaders develop a long-range plan for arts education that is tailor-made for the Las Vegas school district and community.

"A strong arts education benefits students in their intellectual, personal, and social development." said Kennedy Center President Michael M. Kaiser. "The Kennedy Center wants to ensure that every child receives a solid, meaningful arts education from kindergarten through eighth grade. I commend Mayor Goodman for his leadership and commitment to enriching the lives of Las Vegas students. I am delighted that The Smith Center, as one of our Partners in Education member institutions, galvanized the community to apply for the Any Given Child program."

"This is really a big deal for Las Vegas," Mayor Oscar B. Goodman said. "This brings first-class educators to work with our local students and that is a win-win for the city. The Symphony Park area has already attracted great medicine with the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brian Health and now The Smith Center is bringing an incredible educational component through the partnership with the Kennedy Center."

"Southern Nevada students are the real winners in this announcement," said Senator Harry Reid. "The partnership between the Clark County School District and the Kennedy Center is a perfect match. As a national leader in the arts, the Kennedy Center will enrich Las Vegas classrooms with a variety of arts and cultural resources. I am glad this program is coming to Nevada."

By partnering with local arts organizations and using existing resources, the program aims to create little administrative overhead, remaining affordable. The first phase of the program, a comprehensive audit of existing arts education resources and needs assessment by Kennedy Center staff and consultants, is the first step. A review of the community and the school system will reveal what arts education resources currently exist, and what arts organizations and other community groups offer. Based on this information, a plan is created. The audit process takes approximately six to nine months.

During phase two of the program, a community committee makes recommendations to the school district and local arts groups on how best to implement the recently created long range plan, focusing on increasing arts opportunities for K-8 students. In addition, educators and artists can take advantage of a wealth of resources available from the Kennedy Center, such as supplemental lessons with online interactive learning modules and videos available at www.artsedge.org, professional development for teachers and teaching artists, and many others. The goal of this second phase is to provide a tapestry of arts education, strategically weaving together existing arts resources within the schools with those available from community providers and the Kennedy Center in order to reach every child.

Last fall, the Kennedy Center and Mayor Kevin Johnson announced a similar partnership in Sacramento, California. Kennedy Center staff began phase one of the program in October 2009. Now in the implementation phase, Sacramento will add artist residencies in select schools and provide performing and visual arts experiences for all students K-8 in the 2010-11 school year. In February of this year, Springfield, Missouri became the second school district to participate in the program. Portland, Oregon joined the program in June 2010. The Kennedy Center is accepting applications from other cities around the country. Communities that are part of the Any Given Child initiative will have access to Kennedy Center arts education resources, including professional development opportunities in the arts and arts integration for teachers and artists; resources on the Internet including lesson plans, interactive modules, and videos; and other arts education programs from the Kennedy Center.
About Education at the Kennedy Center

For more than 35 years, the Kennedy Center Education Department has provided quality arts experiences for students, teachers, families, and the general public throughout the United States. In the past year, the Center's education programs have directly impacted more than 11 million people.

The resources of the Department focus on producing, presenting, and touring performances and educational events for young people and their families; school- and community-based residencies and other programs that directly impact teachers, students, administrators, and artists through professional development; systemic and school improvement through the arts and arts integrated curricula; partnerships; creating and providing educational materials via print and the Internet; the development of careers in the arts for young people and aspiring professionals; and strengthening the management of arts organizations. For more information, visit the Center's web site at www.kennedy-center.org/education.

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