Since 1993, when a National Endowment for the Arts grant established the Partnership, regional collaborations between local arts service organizations and Head Start agencies have been providing services to children and families throughout Vermont. The program was conceived as a way to enhance the lives of Head Start children through the integration of the artists into their preschool experience - and to enrich creative thinking, self-expression, and positive self-concept.
Local arts councils identify and recommend artists who are interested in working with young children in residencies. Each regional partnership works collaboratively to select the artists, design the program to suit the partners and teachers, and set up their own communications and evaluation systems.
Partnerships meet together at least twice a year with the Council's Arts Education Program Manager to share goals, successes, problems and best practices, as well as to advance their own information and the field of early childhood arts learning.
Artists and teachers work together so that the arts programs reflect and enhance the Head Start curriculum; they give teachers project ideas and model teaching in the open-ended, process-oriented method best for young children. Prior to their residencies, artists receive orientation and are trained to work effectively within the Head Start environment.
The program provides professional development in the arts for early childhood educators. Our workshops have included expressive movement, working with clay, creative movement and music. We also conduct workshops at regional early childhood conferences. Since Head Start is a parent empowerment program, opportunities for parents to learn more about the arts and to tap their own creative resources in workshops with their children, family outings that include performances and hands-on experience and participation in the Head Start classroom. Several of the partnerships have end-of-year exhibits in which the young artists can show off their work (self selected) to their parents, friends, and other community members.
We have developed resource materials about young children and the arts that you can download and our site features an extensive list of Web links.
Click here for a complete list of 2007 grantees.