Each year, our programs reach tens of thousands of children, providing them with the opportunity -- often for the first time in their lives -- to experience a wide range of artistic styles and cultural traditions in the performing, visual, literary, and media arts. Our innovative programs allow children to develop their own artistic potential while building skills to meet the challenges of the classroom and of life. Underlying all of our work is the belief that every child can succeed in the arts and that the arts help develop the mind in ways that can support learning in other areas.
		School Programs ArtsConnection's School Programs reach an incredibly diverse population of students and teachers across the City. These programs are individually designed with schools to match the learning needs of their students. Working to facilitate constructive dialogues between teachers and artists, we connect the talents of the outstanding and diverse professional teaching artists on our faculty with each school to bring the most benefit to the students and to maximize both the short and long-term impact of our presence. Our goal is for all of our artists to become active partners working in concert with teachers and school administrators to create strong connections between our programs and the classroom. Family and Community Programs
		ArtsConnection seeks to make the arts accessible and engaging to the broadest audience possible. Ten years ago, ArtsConnection identified two distinct needs in this area that were not necessarily being met through our School Programs: the need for families to be involved in their children's arts education; and the need to provide engaging, creative programs for children requiring supervision when the school day ends. To address these needs, ArtsConnection created two programs in addition to working with school communities to provide after school programs and family events on Saturdays and during evening hours: Saturdays Alive! and Community Encounters.
		Community Encounters serves the City's most disenfranchised population -- children living in temporary housing facilities. The program provides an introduction to the arts and artistic processes while building an understanding of and respect for cultural diversity. This year, Community Encounters is being offered in two temporary housing facilities in the South Bronx.