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The Need

Equity in and access to a strong arts education remains an issue for too many students.

For most young people, access to arts education during their school years is sporadic and uneven. They may have access during some years and none during others. When they do participate in arts education, students may have uneven access to content—learning in or through some art forms and not others. Additionally, equity is an issue. Students in some schools have less access to arts education than students in other schools.

A strong district arts education plan is achieved when all students, in Kindergarten through grade 8, have ongoing and equal access to learning in and through all the arts—dance, music, theater, visual arts, and media arts.

Through the 2011-2012 school year, the Kennedy Center worked with a professional research company to conduct an analysis of the Any Given Child program's effectiveness. 

For more information about Any Given Child call (202) 416-8843

The Goal

The goal of the Any Given Child initiative is to create full access to and equity in arts education programs and resources for K-8 students.

To achieve this goal, communities:

1. Develop and meet long-term goals and short-term action steps for planning, implementing, and sustaining arts education programs and resources for students.
2. Establish an organizational infrastructure to oversee and sustain an effective effort.
3. Develop support systems (including data collection, resources, and professional development) for arts education providers, such as classroom teachers, arts specialists, administrators, arts organizations, and teaching artists.
4. Secure funding and other resources necessary to sustain the community's long-term goals for K-8 arts education for every child.
5. Communicate and collaborate with policymakers and leaders to influence arts and education policy in the school district, local government, and arts organizations, so that the initiative's gains are institutionalized.

Through the application procedure, the Any Given Child site demonstrates support from the school district Superintendent, the Mayor or other senior government official, and a local arts organization leader. This cross-sector community commitment provides a foundation for the initiative's three phases.

Phase One: Strategic Planning (Year 1)

Guided by a Kennedy Center consulting team, community leaders participate in a strategic planning process that includes visioning, goal-setting, and development of surveys to determine the current status of arts education and to identify where gaps exist in programs and resources. At the end of this Phase, the survey findings, along with long-range goals and action steps, are announced at a public event and documented in a report. èßäAVconsulting team offers additional technical assistance by phone/email and provides select resources.

Phase Two: Implementation (Years 2, 3, and 4)

Guided by an Implementation Committee, the community puts the strategic plan into action. The Implementation Committee is responsible for ensuring funding for program activities, as well as overseeing communications and marketing. èßäAVconsulting team visits the site on a limited basis, offers technical assistance by phone/email as needed, and provides select resources.

Phase Three: Sustaining (Year 5 and beyond)

The community sustains and expands arts education offerings and continues to ensure funding and staffing for program initiatives, communications, and marketing. During this Phase, Kennedy Center staff visit the site on a limited basis, offer technical assistance by phone/email as needed, and provide support for select resources. This Phase has no end date.

All Phases

While the Kennedy Center leverages existing resources and connections to assist the community in improving access to arts education, all fundraising, grant-writing, and budget activities related to the initiative are the community's responsibility.

For more details, see pages 3-9 of the Any Given Child booklet (above).

The Phase I Liaison

The Phase I Liaison is the primary contact for the Kennedy Center throughout the Any Given Child program, and enlists the participation and support of other community leaders. The position is held by a person who works full-time at the initiative's Phase I Liaison Organization, rather than a volunteer.

The Liaison's responsibilities include facilitating meetings with the Kennedy Center consulting team, maintaining communication with CAT members about tasks and meetings, arranging for materials needed for meetings, providing staff to take meeting minutes, following up on action items between meetings, and distributing approved minutes to the CAT. In addition, the Liaison attends meetings with the Kennedy Center consulting team prior to and immediately following each CAT meeting and participates in monthly phone calls with the Kennedy Center consulting team.

Phase I Liaison Organization

The Phase I Liaison organization is responsible for convening the Community Arts Team. The Liaison Organization supports the Liaison's efforts by providing the space, materials, equipment, and supplies for Community Arts Team (CAT) meetings.

While the Liaison Organization is identified in the application, the Community Arts Team makes a decision during the strategic planning process about what organization should house the initiative in Years 2 and beyond.

The Community Arts Team

The Community Arts Team (CAT) is the heart of the Any Given Child strategic planning process. The CAT is comprised of high-level leaders from a diverse cross-section of the community and is responsible for developing and distributing survey instruments that identify arts education resources provided by the schools and the community, reviewing the data resulting from the surveys, and developing long-range goals based on the data.

The Working Group

The Working Group is a small cadre of leaders from within the Community Arts Team (CAT) that are identified jointly by the Liaison and the Kennedy Center consulting team.

The Working Group discusses issues affecting data collection, communication, and long-range planning. It meets between and immediately following CAT meetings during Phase One. Ideally, the Working Group includes: the Liaison, a school leader, a member of the philanthropic sector, the researcher in charge of data collection, a member from the communications sector, and an arts organization representative.

The Implementation Committee

The Implementation Committee begins its tenure during Phase Two. It may be the same group of community members as the Community Arts Team (CAT), but often includes new representation. Most communities invite high-level decision makers to serve on this committee, which ensures that the CAT’s long-range plan is resourced and carried out. The Implementation Committee is responsible for staffing, funding, programs, communications, and marketing.

The Kennedy Center

èßäAVconsulting team attends and facilitates each of the Community Arts Team meetings during the Strategic Planning Phase (Phase I) of the project. In collaboration with the Liaison, they develop meeting agendas, evaluate the progress of the Any Given Child program, discuss and plan for staffing and resources, address any challenges or questions that emerge, and assist the Coordinator in overseeing the initiative. During the Implementation Phase (Phase II), Kennedy Center staff may visit to meet with the Implementation Committee and to view the work of the initiative in action. èßäAVconsulting team is available throughout the year for consultation by phone and email.

Any Given Child communities describe seven outcomes that have resulted from their participation in the Kennedy Center's initiative. For more information on outcomes, read A National Mission: Ensuring the Arts for Any Given Child .

1. Increased Student Access
2. A Foundation of Robust Data
3. A Shared Community Vision and a Commitment to Act
4. A Collective Impact
5. Increased Capacity
6. Improved Ability to Leverage Support
7. A Growing National Network

Sites are reporting remarkable growth in arts education programs, resources, and staffing since they began their initiatives.

Selected Outcomes, 2014 - 2015

Austin, TX: In 2014-15, this site provided professional development for 2,000 educators as well as additional coaching for 600 teachers.

Baltimore, MD: The CEO of Baltimore City Public School District has maintained the arts as a top priority of his administration. For the first time since the 1990's, the school district has a Fine Arts Plan approved by the School Board of Commissioners.

Fresno, CA: A new Arts Business Coalition has raised nearly $400,000 to support new arts programs, including seven $10,000 grants to Any Given Child Fresno pilot schools.

Jacksonville, FL: In its first year of Implementation, Any Given Child Jacksonville has been mentioned in more than 17 instances of print and broadcast media.

Madison, WI: Any Given Child Madison received a $125,000 gift from the estate of Carl M. Hudig to support the goals created by its Community Arts Team. Additionally, the school district created a new full-time position for an Arts Education Instructional Resource Teacher.

Missoula, MT: 5,000 students were served in coordinated arts education activities with partnering organizations. The school district added 1.5 FTE new visual arts teaching positions.

Portland, OR: The Portland Public Schools Board of Directors committed to .5 additional FTE for middle school students in every K-8 school when data revealed a disparity in arts education instruction compared to students attending stand-alone middle schools.

Sarasota, FL: The school district was selected by the U.S. Department of Education to receive $1.2 million over four years through the Professional Development Arts Educators Grant Program to use arts integration to improve student growth.

Sacramento, CA: Twin Rivers Unified School District hired additional arts specialists, allowing the district to provide at least one arts discipline for every K – 8 student. Robla Unified School District also hired additional arts specialists, allowing the district to provide one full-time visual arts specialist for every school in the district.

Southern Nevada: As a result of Any Given Child in Southern Nevada, Doral Academy opened the first arts integration public charter school in Clark County School District in August 2013. Due to the overwhelming success of the school in its first year, Doral Academy opened a second campus in the 2014-15 school year, and a third in 2015-16.

Selected Outcomes, 2011 - 2014

Austin, TX: The school district has added the equivalent of 8.5 full-time creative learning positions. Together, the school district, community arts organizations, and universities have provided $2,814,839 in additional support for arts education.

Baltimore, MD: Half-time positions for visual arts or music teachers have been mandated for every elementary and middle school. Many schools are above this staffing level; however, this is the first time the district has articulated a minimum requirement.

Fresno, CA: The school district has allocated an additional $2 million for arts education.

Jacksonville, FL: The superintendent has allocated an additional $1.8 million for arts education.

Portland, OR: The equivalent of 23.5 full-time arts education positions have been added to Portland Public Schools. A new public fund, supported by local income tax dollars, is providing grants for arts access programs and restoring certified art and music teachers to every elementary school in Portland Public Schools and five other districts.

Sacramento, CA: In 2009, only 17% of K-8 students were participating in any arts experience during the school day. Today, 100% of K-8 students have the opportunity to participate in the arts.

Springfield, MO: Community arts organizations have added performances and exhibitions to ensure every child has at least one cultural experience each year.

Tulsa, OK: There has been a combined total of $998,885 in increased funding for arts education from the school district, community arts organizations, and foundations.

As of FY24, there are 28 Any Given Child Communities across the United States, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Please click on a community name to learn more information about their work.

The following data collection worksheets and other tools have been refined by the Kennedy Center during the course of the Any Given Child program. These instruments represent major elements of the Any Given Child process, including data collection and strategic planning.

• School Arts Mapping Tool (March 2012)

This document is adapted from a tool provided by the Sacramento County Office of Education. It is intended to be completed by the school principal and measures three areas of arts involvement: instruction in the arts, field trips and events in or away from the school during regular school hours, and professional development for school personnel.

• Any Given Child School Survey Worksheet (March 2013)
• Any Given Child Arts Survey Worksheet (March 2013)

These worksheets include a variety of questions around arts education that Community Arts Teams can choose from to build their own survey instruments.

• Any Given Child Long-Range Planning Tool (April 2011)

This simple tool is used to indicate goals and action steps in strategic planning.

Kennedy Center Resources

As America's national center for the performing arts and a leader in the development of arts education programming, the Kennedy Center is committed to developing educational resources and programs that can be shared with arts organizations and school districts across the country. Communities that are part of the Any Given Child program will have access to many Kennedy Center resources, including:

• Professional learning opportunities for teachers and artists in the arts and in arts integration; and
• Resources on the Internet including lesson plans, interactives, videos, and how to's.

Site-Specific Tools

The following surveys were developed by Any Given Child sites in consultation with Kennedy Center staff and consultants as part of the Any Given Child process. Most surveys have been refined by Kennedy Center staff for inclusion here.

For Principals

These surveys ask for principal's opinions of the impact of the arts on student learning and the school community, as well as any barriers to providing arts education.

• Principal Survey 1 (July 2012)
• Principal Survey 2 (July 2012)

For Classroom Teachers and Arts Specialists

These surveys ask about teachers' views of arts education, as well as the availability of arts experiences and resources for their students.

• Teacher Survey 1 (July 2012)
• Teacher Survey 2 (July 2012)

For District Administration

These surveys assess district personnel's views of arts education policies, and gather information on the current state of arts education in the district from administrators' perspectives.

• District Survey 1 (July 2012)
• District Survey 2 (July 2012)

For Arts Organizations/Teaching Artists

These surveys seek to determine the roles of local cultural organizations and teaching artists in education, including activities such as field trips away from schools and assemblies in school buildings.

• Arts Survey 1 (July 2012)
• Arts Survey 2 (July 2012)

For Community Members

Survey Tool for Community Members in Portland, OR (March 2011)

This survey, which is also available in Spanish, was used to assess the community's interest and support as it was preparing to initiate the Any Given Child program.

Kennedy Center Education

The Vice President of Education is generously endowed by the

Generous support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Bank of America; Capital One; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Carnegie Corporation of New York; The Ednah Root Foundation; Harman Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The Kiplinger Foundation; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; The Markow Totevy Foundation; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; The Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives;

Prince Charitable Trusts; Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A. J. Stolwijk; Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund; The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates; The Victory Foundation; The Volgenau Foundation; Volkswagen Group of America; Jackie Washington; GRoW @ Annenberg and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Family; Wells Fargo; and generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas. Additional support is provided by the National Committee for the Performing Arts..

The content of these programs may have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education but does not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the federal government.