Last year, we launched our Arts Integration Kits with the goal of supplying children all over Western New York with the supplies and instruction necessary to engage in high quality and fun arts experiences at home. These kits are curated around carefully selected children's books that are identified for their cultural and community relevance. Each kit contains a copy of the book, detailed lesson plans developed by experienced Teaching Artists, and ALL the supplies necessary to enjoy exciting artistic experiences at home. With over 10 options for engaging stories (and counting!) the creative possibilities are endless!

This year, we were grateful for the opportunity to work with The Teacher’s Desk, a local organization dedicated to providing free school supplies to students and teachers in Western New York. Thanks to the distribution efforts and thousands of volunteer hours provided by The Teacher’s Desk, approximately $8,500,000 worth of new school supplies finds its way to students and teachers all across our region every year. 

Our recent partnership with The Teacher’s Desk serves as a foundational element in a collaborative effort to meet our shared goals of increasing student access to crucial supplies. This year, supplies provided by The Teacher’s Desk have helped to bolster our growing Arts Integration Kit initiative . Since April, supplies from The Teacher’s Desk have been included in over 1,000 kits distributed to families in Western New York. During that time, kits have been shared with families at Buffalo & Erie County Public Library branches, Arts for Learning events like Family ArtFest, and various community partners including The Belle Center, The United Somali Alliance of Buffalo, and Groundwork Market Garden. 

As we enter the second year of our Arts Integration Kit initiative , we are proud to partner with local organizations like The Teacher’s Desk to maintain and strengthen our efforts to provide young learners in Western New York with accessible opportunities to engage with the arts. 

Find out more about The Teacher’s Desk, how you can volunteer, and ways to utilize this valuable resource: https://www.theteachersdesk.org/ 

Interested in learning more about Arts Integration Kits? See our website for more information and to download our lesson plans:

https://www.artsforlearningwny.org/artsintegration