LITERACY WITHOUT WALLS Family Involvement through the Arts

DEVELOPING LANGUAGE THROUGH FAMILY LEARNING ADVENTURES

Cool Culture's Literacy Without Walls involves families in supporting children's learning in the rich environments of NYC's cultural institutions. In alignment with the Common Core State Standards, and the NYC Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts, family visits to cultural institutions provide real-world opportunities for children to:

• Develop curiosity and interest in learning new vocabulary.* • Express their thoughts, feelings and ideas.* • Ask and answer questions.* • Make observations and draw inferences from looking at art.+ • Make connections in and through the arts to other disciplines.+ • Access cultural resources that expand their horizons.+ * Common Core Learning Standard + Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Art

ABOUT COOL CULTURE Cool Culture brings together families, schools and City’s world-renowned , gardens, and zoos to create learning-rich, culturally vibrant communities that prepare children for future success. Cool Culture partners with 400 Universal Pre- Kindergarten, Kindergarten, Child Care and Head Start programs in NYC to serve 50,000 low- income families. Last year alone, Cool Culture families made 200,000 visits to our cultural institution partners.

COOL CULTURE PARTNER HIGHLIGHTS

American of Natural History Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Bronx Museum of the Arts Museum Prospect Park Zoo Brooklyn Children’s Museum The Metropolitan Museum of Art Museum of (MoMA) Museum Zoo Fire Museum Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Children’s Museum of the Arts New York Botanical Garden Sony Wonder Technology Lab El Museo del Barrio New York Hall of Science Staten Island Children’s Museum

Literacy Without Walls is a fee-for-service program ($2,500 per school). Cool Culture has an Early Childhood Professional Development Contract with the NYC Department of Education. Vendor ID: 161636968

Cool Culture | 80 Hanson Place, Suite 604 | Brooklyn, NY 11217 | 718.230.4186 x308 www.coolculture.org LITERACY WITHOUT WALLS

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Literacy Without Walls is a professional development and family involvement program for New York City’s Title 1 elementary and charter schools. The program includes two components:

A cultural access program for Universal Pre- Kindergarten & Kindergarten families. Each family will receive a:

• personalized Cool Culture Family Pass which entitle them to FREE unlimited general admission to 90 museums, gardens, and zoos during out-of-school time (not for field trips)

• Cool Culture Family Guide to help them learn how to use their Family Pass

• subscription to our e-Family Time newsletter detailing fun and free museum offerings for families with young children

A 5-part professional development workshop series for the Cultural Liaison, the school staff member designated to implement the program at your site. Each workshop will:

• provide training on best practices for supporting family involvement through the arts

• provide participants with educational resources and activities that can be used during parent workshops and meetings Parent Coordinators at a Literacy Without Walls professional development session discuss ways to promote family visits at their schools.. • connect participants with educators from some of NYC’s world-renowned museums HOW TO ENROLL Public schools must receive school-wide Title 1 funding in order to enroll. Schools that have over 75% of their students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch will be given enrollment preference. Follow these steps: 1. Select a Cultural Liaison Have questions? Contact: 2. Visit www.coolculture.org/educators/literacy-without-walls Stefania Trelles 3. Complete the online School Enrollment Forms Education Coordinator [email protected] 4. Print, sign, and submit the Cultural Liaison and Principal Agreement Form 718.230.4186 x308 and Enrollment Contract 5. Pay the $2500 program fee no later than December 2014

Enrollment is open until August 29, 2014, or until spaces are filled. Space is limited.

TO LEARN MORE, VISIT: WWW.COOLCULTURE.ORG/EDUCATORS/LITERACY-WITHOUT-WALLS