City of York Council - Children’s Centres Community Arts Programme

YorkCouncilLogoIn 2007 there were two Surestart Children’s Centres in York, with 6 more planned. Consultations were conducted with the local communities, staff and potential visitors to the Centres. The results of these consultations showed that community arts would be an ideal way to embed the Surestart Children’s Centres into their local communities, and encourage the visitors to have a positive, meaningful impact on their environment.

 

The Surestart Children’s Centre Partnership Board funded a full time arts development worker post plus seed funds for initial arts projects, starting in October 2007. Additional funds from the City of York Council extended the pilot to March 2009. The post sits within the Council’s community arts team, Arts Action York, for line management purposes and to ensure the arts programme benefits from and contributes to a strategic approach for community arts.

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Key aims of arts programme:-

  • Use arts to increase access and inclusion of families in the new children’s centres, particularly for targeted communities
  • Develop a strong positive identity for York’s children’s centres
  • Make a positive impact on the physical environment of children’s centres
  • Bring positive changes for individuals, personally and in their family and community lives by engaging them in creative activity

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Key points:-

  • Between October 2007 and March 2009, over 1000 people have participated in the children’s centres Community Arts programme, aged six months to 92 years.
  • All eight children’s centres have been included in the Programme, participating in 12 projects designed specifically to suit their needs, as well as having the opportunity to access a range of events, festivals and arts and cultural organisations across York.
  • In addition to children’s centre visitors, members of the local community and school pupils, 30 groups have been targeted for inclusion in the programme, including fathers with their children, young parents at a homeless hostel, pregnant women and childminders.
  • In addition to the initial programme funding provided by the children’s centres, further funding has been generated through Family Learning, York Pride, and City of York Council’s Festival’s Team. A large amount of partnership work has generated in kind support in terms of venues, materials, resources, staffing and free admission tickets has been granted from children’s centres, Arts and Culture Department, York Minster, Merchant Adventurers Hall, York Museums Trust, York Libraries, and Traveller’s Education Service This has helped facilitate more access to York’s arts and cultural life for local families with young children
  • Projects have been led by community artists and have been designed and created by children and families form the children’s centres. These projects include:

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o Mosaic trees to welcome you to The Avenues at Tang Hall
o A mosaic wonderland of mini beasts to lead you into St. Lawrence’s
o Ceramic hands and faces flying at New Earswick
o A ceramic hot air balloon showing you Westfield
o Colourful mosaic tiles drawing you into Carr
o Stained glass and felt works at Clifton
o Festival screens, bunting and painted horses from all 8 children’s centres
o Wonderful willow at Westfield and Carr

 

Through using a mixture of arts, children, families, staff and members of the community have all been able to have a positive effect on their children’s centres. They have been able to express their views, and take ownership of their space. The projects have helped publicise the centres within their communities, and have often provided a way for new visitors to find out more about their local facilities.

 

New-Earswick-Balloon-6Feedback:-

  • “It looks really fantastic, that’s my bit”
  • “May I take this opportunity to say how lovely the children’s centre looks now - especially around the entrance”.
  • "[I like] how it leads you round into the courtyard.. flows really well!"
  • “That was slimy. It’s gooey”
  • “ I made this for mummy”
  • “It was really fun and a brilliant way to have fun and help”
  • ““It’s the first time [he’s] been able to have a go with clay”.
  • “I want a red one, a yellow one, a white one”
  • “It looks fab”
  • “Its been lovely to work making things together with our kids”
  • “We have had a laugh and a giggle”
  • “We would definitely like to do more stuff”
  • “I could do this forever”
  • “That looks great that”
  • “Being creative…Looking forward to seeing it displayed”
  • “Good way to get kids doing things together and getting parents involved. They’ve all enjoyed it, it’s been really good fun”
  • ”Time to be creative and make a contribution to a larger event”
  • “It was such a valuable experience for the children and their families”
  • “Invites families to an experience they might not necessarily access”

 

In addition to the support from the early years staff, there has been strength in involving a variety of partners in the projects, which has paved the way for our new project Involve; unlocking the cultural life of York for children under 5 and their families. Involve aims to strengthen the links between arts and early years across York, through an Interchange network, development of provision and targeted projects.

Emma Keef
City of York Council
September 2009