FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

If you have additional questions, please send
us an e-mail or call 877-434-ARTS x300.

Q. What does The Center for Arts Education do?

A. 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. We create, identify, fund and support exemplary partnerships and programs that utilize the arts to contribute to learning and student achievement.

Under our Strategic Plan, we will develop citywide programs, events and initiatives in two broad areas, public engagement and capacity building, in order to meet the following primary goals:

  • Ensure all New York City public school students have access to quality arts learning that complies with New York State’s minimum arts education requirements
  • Ensure every child experiences the arts as part of his or her basic education from kindergarten through 12th grade
  • Mobilize a broad community of supporters for school-based arts programs and experiences
  • Improve the quality of teaching and learning through grant programs, professional development, cultural partnerships and other

    A.initiatives

  • Increase resources available for arts education in the schools and for the larger field
  • Raise awareness about arts education and the work of CAE

Q. How does CAE work with schools?

A. CAE works with schools in the following capacities:

  • Parents As Arts Partners (PAAP) grants fund programs that are developed and implemented by schools in collaboration with arts organizations, community-based organizations, and cultural institutions. PAAP grant programs increase parental support by teaching families the value of art in education. In offering these grants, CAE’s overall goal is to encourage parents to become advocates who will influence the public school system to increase and sustain the arts as a part of every child’s education.
  • Career Development Program
    CAE’s Career Development Program creates outstanding opportunities for high school students and educators to participate in school-to-career activities in the arts and related industries. The program’s primary goal is to expose students, teachers, counselors and administrators to the many career options in New York City’s over $13 billion arts industry.
  • School Arts Support Initative (SASI)
    With generous financial support from The New York Times Company Foundation, The Center for Arts Education (CAE), in partnership with the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE), is conducting the first ever School Arts Support Initiative (SASI). SASI will provide $160,000 in funding and additional in-kind professional support services for the 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years to three selected public middle schools with little or no arts education provided to their students. Learn about SASI and what it takes to bring the arts to every child.

  • Professional Development
    From time to time, CAE offers Professional Development & and workshops to support school and cultural organization representatives from our grant programs. Professional Development offerings have included sessions on Looking At Student Work and Evaluation & Assessment, Inter-visitations to other CAE-funded schools, publications such as the Career Development Handbooks and workshops on fundraising for arts education. Join our mailing list to be notified of upcoming professional development opportunities!

Q. How will CAE’s programs change under the new Strategic Plan?

A. CAE will complement its most identifiable, historic programs with a wide range of new efforts. These include creating citywide programs and events, as well as initiatives to stay informed and responsive to the rapidly changing school system environment. Additionally, CAE will work with a broad range of partners – deepening its core relationships with the Department of Education, Department of Cultural Affairs and United Federation of Teachers, while establishing new ones. See the Strategic Plan brochure for a list of our new initiatives.

Q. How can I get CAE involved in my kid’s school?

A. CAE will complement its most identifiable, historic programs with a wide range of new efforts. These include creating citywide programs and events, as well as initiatives to stay informed and responsive to the rapidly changing school system environment. Additionally, CAE will work with a broad range of partners – deepening its core relationships with the Department of Education, Department of Cultural Affairs and United Federation of Teachers, while establishing new ones. See the Strategic Plan (link to Plan) for a list of our new initiatives.

Q. Why are the arts important?

A. The arts provide students with a powerful opportunity for self-expression, collaboration, and confidence building, as well as the development of skills in and knowledge of music composition, dance, choreography, acting, script writing, visual art making, design, and more. Arts programs motivate structural or organizational improvements and offer alternative approaches that can improve both teaching and learning.

Q. What is the current role of arts education in the New York City school system?

A. Since the devastating system-wide cutbacks of the 1970s, the arts have been returned to New York City schools – but they have not been fully restored. Access to arts instruction remains a critical issue, with hundred of thousands of students underserved. For example, the school system has just one licensed music teacher per 1,154 students. Hundreds of schools have no licensed arts specialists at all.

Q. I’m a parent. Where can I learn more about getting my child involved in the arts?

A. First, sign up for the CAE Parent Voice - an exclusive online parent newsletter full of tips, resources and activities to help you get involved with arts education at home and at your child’s school.

Visit the Family Engagement section of our website to learn more about how you can get involved and support arts education at school and at home. We have an online Parent Forum to help parents connect with each other and share ideas, stories and activities about arts education. You’ll also get great tips from our Family Engagement Expert on arts activities you can do at home.

Get a FREE copy of My Child, the Arts and Learning: A Guide for Parents, PreK to Second Grade. We have already distributed over 200,000 copies of to parents throughout New York City, and are now developing guides for grades 3-5 and 6-8. You can order FREE guides for your school and other parents HERE. Also, be sure to join our mailing list to be notified of these new guides and other parent resources.

In addition, our Resources for Parents and Families page provides links to organizations that offer information on arts programs for young people, such as the Partnership for After School Education, the Alliance for the Arts, and the National Art Education Association.

Q. How can my child’s school access the resources provided by CAE? What grants or funding opportunities do you offer to schools?

A. Nearly ever school in the New York City school system is eligible to apply for CAE’s Parents As Arts Partners grant, and applications for the program are accepted in the fall. Work with representatives from your school to plan ahead if you are interested in applying.

Q. I’m a teaching artist. Where can I get a job?

A. CAE generally does not hire or contract directly with teaching artists. The schools we fund shape their own arts education programs and choose the arts organizations and artists that they wish to include in their arts partnership. Please contact individual arts organizations directly about employment opportunities. We also welcome you to explore our Resources for Teaching Artists link.

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