Never Too Young for Art

Kathy Scott, grants director at the Nogales Unified School District, wrote an article published at https://lnkd.in/e3gMN_Y which states:

“Research indicates that a child who is exposed to the arts acquires a special ability to think creatively, be original, discover, innovate and create intellectual property – key attributes for individual success and social prosperity in the 21st century.”

This statement from the International Child Art Foundation website is of particular importance in our community where the gap between the haves and the have-nots is especially wide. The first day of kindergarten is often a defining moment in a child’s life, especially for those who lack not only the academic skills provided by a pre-school experience, but also the behavior skills that underlie the ability to be school-wise from day one.

While not every child from birth to age 5 has the same intentional exposure to learning that prepares him or her for kindergarten, every child can develop the attention skills and cognitive learning referred to above. Some are lucky to have a rich pre-school experience, but those who do not can develop behaviors that place them at least closer to those peers when entering school – at relatively little cost and with just a small investment of time and effort.