The omnipresence of back-to-school ads on TV can mean only one thing: the rollout of the NEW Youth Arts Program (YAP) at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop! Okay, maybe that wasn’t your first guess, but there are really wonderful changes afoot that we think might be even more exciting than color-coordinated binders and new shoes—all starting this fall. Registration is now open with classes beginning August 31, so we hope you will take a look at the new brochure, schedule, and opportunities—and get your preferred classes before they fill up. We welcome all families, old and new to CHAW, and we offer transportation options, payment plans, and tuition assistance to ensure that everyone has access to the creativity, confidence, and community that are at the core of what we do.
Take me to the registration page!
At CHAW, we are always teaching our students to be committed to the creative process, and not to be afraid to take risks. Well, we’re taking our own advice. We’ve read evaluations, talked to parents informally and in focus groups, and worked with our teaching artists and program staff to bring you the resulting program.
We have made many changes—operational, functional, structural. But the real way it’s different is that it gets us back to our roots: Building community through the arts. This program reflects the best of who we are and who we hope to be. We can’t wait for you to be a part of it.
You can learn much more in our brochure, and our staff is ready and eager to answer your questions and provide some guidance through the new program. Here’s what you can expect from the new YAP:
- SEQUENCED Classes – There will be a level I & level II class available for each age group, so no matter where your child enters the program, there will be a class that is appropriately challenging and a clear path to progressively more advanced skill-building in the arts.
- Pay-by-the-Day – Throw away those calculators, folks, because we’re making it really simple: pick one, two, three, or four days of YAP. Pay for the day. You’ll get the whole time period between 3:30 and 6:30pm to decide on the best path for your child: one class plus Village time, two classes, just Village…the choice is yours.
- Studios – The diversity of disciplines you love, now in an easier-to-use package. Classes are grouped into “Studios,” each led by one of our very CHAWsome teaching artists. You’ll get substantive bios of each teaching artist to select the best match for your child. Studio projects may vary class to class and semester to semester, but they will all build technical skills in the chosen artistic discipline and encourage creative expression in every child.
- Village – YAP will now be a comprehensive after-school experience that allows children to grow and work in a community of peers that is distinct from that of their schools and even their classes at CHAW. Village time is a structured creative environment that may include drop-in community art projects with rotating teaching artists, homework help, games, and more to get kids thinking collaboratively and creatively about how we create the “villages” that support us through our lives–and the role the arts can play in that development.
What hasn’t changed?
Our CHAWsome teaching artists, the diversity of programming and people, and the core tenets of every CHAW experience: CREATIVITY, CONFIDENCE, and COMMUNITY.
Thank you for being a part of this new iteration of CHAW’s commitment to quality arts education and access for all. We can’t wait to see you at CHAW, and we are always here to answer questions and talk about YAP: just shoot an email to Leslie Mansour, Deputy Director of Education & Programs, or give CHAW a call at 202-57-6839. Let’s make some great art together this fall!
P.S. Jealous of your kids’ CHAWsome arts experiences? Adult class registration is now open, too! Learn more in our adult class brochure and sign up for your own creative time—you deserve it.
