$1.8 million grant changes art education for Sonoma County kids!
Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma-Marin received a $1.8 million federal grant from the US Department of Education to expand quality arts education in the classroom and afterschool. A consortium of experts & partners including the Clubs, Big Idea Arts and Education Consulting, Windsor Unified School District, and the Sonoma County Arts Education Alliance will refine, expand and implement a highly successful arts curriculum in 100 classrooms across Sonoma County. Partner School Districts include: Cloverdale Unified, Rincon Valley Union, Windsor Unified, and Bellevue Union.
“Local kids deserve access to high-quality art programs that encourage self-expression, build confidence, and enable them to explore new avenues of communication.” says Jennifer Weiss, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma-Marin. “We are excited to partner with a diverse group of local leaders to do just that.”
The program is called iAmplify (internet-based Arts Methods and Professional Learning Integrated for Youth). Launching this summer with a 5-day summit where participating school districts and after-school program representatives will build foundational skills and learn how to embed the arts throughout all content & subject areas with a comprehensive, sequential, standards-based arts curriculum.
iAmplify will engage students and families in community outreach projects to reinforce arts learning, build public will, and increase sustainability for arts education. The program is set to run for 4 years and will train 100 local teachers and after-school leaders yearly in quality arts education during that time.
“This program is a big step towards closing the arts gap in Sonoma County where 79% of secondary schools are still striving to provide the comprehensive arts education required by the Education Code,” says Robert Bullwinkel, co-creator of iAmplify curriculum.“iAmplify will provide cost effective professional learning and support for teachers and after-school leaders. Through this partnership we’ll provide coaching and all needed arts resources to give the kids in our community the arts program they deserve.”
As a result of this federal investment in Sonoma County, the Clubs expect to offer quality arts education to over 3,000 students each year in four school districts across the county through iAmplify.