Hear the voices of kids and see their art work in
this video on Gallery 37, a program that offers
young people job training in the arts, opportunities for arts-related employment and
mentoring relationships with professional artists.

Watch as these preschoolers from the Kaleidoscope Program learn about dance and music in this video clip.

Ira Glass, producer of the public radio show, "This American Life," put together a presentation for Grantmakers in the Arts on the importance and success of small, community-based arts programs. Listen to a clip that discusses research by Stanford professor Shirley Brice Heath, and the real-life influence of the arts on Lucia Lopez, a former gang member. The segment aired on the December 18, 1998 episode of the radio show.

This program helps schools and local and national organizations give boys and girls strategies to prevent violence in their communities, and in their own lives.

The arts are much more than just fun "extra" activities for kids. Participation in the arts opens up children's worlds and minds, and offers them the skills they need for a bright future.

The National PTA encourages children from preschool through twelfth grade to create special works of art for fun and recognition. Each year, kids have the opportunity to submit entries that reflect a specific theme, such as "Dare to discover," or "Exploring new beginnings." Learn more about the program and browse through winners in the categories of visual arts, photography, literature, and music.

How do the arts and humanities make a difference in learning and academic performance and social and emotional development? Read this brief chapter from Coming Up Taller by the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.

What makes an arts program for at-risk youth successful? According to Coming Up Taller, these programs maintain a delicate balance between structure and flexibility, creating opportunities for growth and building on the familiar. They focus on specific arts and humanities disciplines without ignoring broader child development contexts. They work with parents while preserving independent relationships with the children. And, they capitalize on the unique perspectives of artists and humanists. Learn more in this comprehensive chapter from Coming Up Taller by the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.

Conceived by the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, Gallery 37 offers young people job training in the arts, opportunities for arts-related employment and mentoring relationships with professional artists.

Through the arts, the Kaleidoscope Program helps low-income preschoolers grow intellectually. Learn more about this award-winning program in an interview with Robert Capanna, Executive Director of the Settlement Music School.