Although New York City is the center of the art world, arts programs at New York city school children are considered inadequate. New York offers families the best museums, theaters and cultural experiences in the world. Children's Focus was started to encourage parents to expose their children to the abundance of cultural institutions in the city, but part of that equation was to encourage children to participate first hand in creating music, art and literature. Unfortunately, funding for arts in New York City schools does not match that level of interest. The Center for Arts Education is trying to bridge that gap by providing parents and educators with information that empowers them to engage their schools on this issue. To learn more about their work, parents can download Arts Education Parents Advocacy Toolkit.
There are lots of great reasons for parents to get involved in getting art programs into the school. First, there are the benefits for the children, studies have shown that children who participate in dance, music, theater and visual art do better in their class work. Children can enjoy dancing, playing an instrument or creating art while they also learn discipline and self control, This creativity allows children to think and build outside the box, to find solutions to problems, and eventually, paves the way for a better society.
On May 1, you can support the work of The Center of Arts Education at their fundraiser, Arts Jam 2017. Enjoy a fun evening of cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, musical performances, and a live and silent auction at SLATE, 54 W21 Street, New York, NY, at 6:30pm. If you are unable to attend the party, you can make a donation by contacting Kim Craig kim@caenyc.org or 212-971-3300. This year they will be honoring artist, composer, musician, filmmaker Laurie Anderson; and educators Patrick Burns and Maria Justiniano from J.H.S.217Q.
