Arts for Learning Indiana Receives Early Learning Indiana Grant
The grant will help fund Arts for Learning Indiana’s Wolf Trap Baby Artsplay.
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 13, 2023
Indianapolis, Indiana – Young Audiences of Indiana, Inc. (doing business as Arts for Learning Indiana) is proud to announce that it has been selected as a recipient of the Early Years Initiative from Early Learning Indiana. The Early Years Initiative is a $50-million competitive grant program focused on enhancing the learning and development of infants and toddlers in Indiana communities. The generous support for this initiative comes from Lilly Endowment Inc.
“We only have a few short years to set our youngest Hoosiers on a path to thrive in life, and the work of our grantees across the state will enable us to make the most of these years while deepening our understanding about which efforts are most effective,” said Early Learning Indiana President and CEO Maureen Weber.
Through this grant, Arts for Learning Indiana will receive $212,300 for its Wolf Trap Baby Artsplay!™ residency program to enhance young children’s learning in all areas of development through the performing arts of music, movement and drama. Taught by local trained teaching artists and veteran Wolf Trap Teaching Artists, the classes engage children, ages three months to three years, and their parents or caregivers, in arts experiences. The experiences are designed to include all learning styles in multisensory, active experiences that facilitate language and vocabulary, social/emotional and motor skills, and promote understanding of the arts as an integral part of early childhood development.
The Early Years Initiative places special emphasis on serving families in low-income households. Arts for Learning Indiana is committed to reaching out to, and making a meaningful impact on, the lives of families in Marion County.
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About Arts for Learning Indiana
Since 1961, Arts for Learning Indiana has been the premier provider of arts education programs for youth across Indiana. Our programs empower youth and expand their learning through creative arts experiences. Arts for Learning employs more than 50 teaching artists who provide performances, workshops, and residencies to schools, libraries, and community organizations to reach nearly 40,000 youth every year. We also provide professional development designed to help classroom teachers and teaching artists effectively work together to integrate the arts into any educational environment. Arts for Learning is one of more than 30 affiliates of Young Audiences Arts for Learning, the nation’s largest arts in education learning network. To learn more about Arts for Learning, visit ArtsForLearningIndiana.org.
About Early Learning Indiana
Early Learning Indiana is an expert and trusted voice on early childhood education that works statewide to provide leadership, advocacy and early childhood education services that continually improve the early learning landscape in Indiana. Early Learning Indiana operates 11 nationally accredited, high-quality Day Early Learning centers, a network of premier community-based centers used to advance the science of early learning, train the next generation of teachers and leaders, and instill knowledge and skills in the children we serve. Through regional and statewide programs, the organization works to ensure young children are empowered with essential skills to thrive in kindergarten and beyond. Learn more at EarlyLearningIN.org.
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J. K. Lilly and his sons, Eli and J.K. Jr., through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with its founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. Although the Endowment funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, it maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.