skip navigation | text only | accessibility | site map
Share

Any Given Child

Program Philosophy


Michael Kaiser, President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, had been concerned about the status of arts education in America for some time.  He noted that for most young people, access to arts education in school was sporadic and uneven.  "If a child's second grade teacher is familiar and comfortable with the arts, that child may have many arts experiences during the year. The teacher may integrate the arts with other subjects during instruction; the teacher may take the students to a performance or exhibit by a local arts organization or museum; the teacher may invite a teaching artist into the classroom for a residency so the artist is working with the students over time.  However, if that same child's third grade teacher has little or no experience with the arts, the child may receive no arts instruction nor participate in any arts experiences that year.  We would never teach math or language arts that way." If students are fortunate enough to be in a school with arts teachers who see them weekly, then some gaps in students' arts education are being filled.  But it is the rare school that has arts specialists in dance and theater, as well as in music and visual arts.  Equity and access to a complete arts education remains an issue for too many students.

Mr. Kaiser's vision was that a community would come together to address the need for access to and equity in arts education for students across an entire school district.  In 2009, he initiated the Any Given Child program, designed to assist a community in planning strategically to provide an equitable arts education for students in grades K-8, Kindergarten through grade 8, using the existing resources of the school district, the local arts community, and the Kennedy Center. 

Any Given Child focuses its efforts on students of grades K-8 because of the unique nature of high schools which typically include the arts in electives classes.  It has been observed that if more demand for the arts is created in grades K-8, then more demand will follow in high schools.  Because the program is funded with public dollars, Any Given Child communities focus data-gathering on public schools and public charter schools.

"Any given child in this country deserves the opportunity to experience and engage in the arts," said Darrell M. Ayers, Kennedy Center Vice President for Education.  “By offering a strong arts education, young people benefit in intellectual, personal, and social development.  We want to ensure that every child receives a complete education – one that includes the arts – and that Any Given Child communities serve as examples for other cities across the United States.”

Outcomes


The Kennedy Center has identified five primary outcomes for communities participating in the Any Given Child program.  Communities will:

  1. Develop long term goals for increased access and equity in arts education programs and resources for K-8 students.
  2. Develop and maintain programs and support systems (including data, resources, and professional development) for arts learning providers, such as classroom teachers, arts specialists, administrators, arts organizations, and teaching artists.
  3. Develop and maintain a governance structure to oversee and sustain the Any Given Child initiative.
  4. Secure funding and other resources necessary to sustain the community’s long term goals for K-8 arts education for every child.
  5. Influence arts and education policy in the school district, local government, and arts organizations.

The Process


The Any Given Child initiative is an adaptive model that unites the Kennedy Center education department with a local “Community Arts Team (CAT).” With the on-going guidance of Kennedy Center education consultants and staff, the CAT meets over a period of several months to reflect on current arts education programs, evaluate resources in and out of schools, and make informed and realistic plans to achieve a collective vision for arts education in their schools.

During the first part of the program, the Strategic Planning Phase, the CAT begins their work by adapting and implementing a series of survey instruments, provided by the Kennedy Center, which are designed to gather data about the current status of arts education programs.  The CAT analyzes the information culled from the survey results, notes gaps in services, and recommends key goals for moving forward.  At the conclusion of the strategic planning process, the CAT will have created a prioritized list of action steps, as well as long range goals for strengthening arts education, along with a timetable for implementation. Kennedy Center staff meets with the CAT to identify appropriate resources for implementation of the new arts education plan. 

The Community Arts Team also develops a report about the data gathered through the strategic planning process and distributes it throughout the community.  Additional presentations of the findings and recommendations are made at public gatherings.

In the second part of the program, or Implementation Phase, the Kennedy Center’s participation in the Any Given Child initiative can continue for up to three additional years. During this phase, the community designates an Implementation Committee to oversee the implementation of the recommendations made at the conclusion of the first phase of the initiative, incorporating existing resources, any additional services and resources that can be provided locally, as well as those that can be provided by the Kennedy Center.  This committee is responsible for governance and accountability, funding, communications, and marketing of the Any Given Child work.

While the program is not a funding program or a grant, the Kennedy Center can provide arts education resources to the Any Given Child community.