The Work Isn’t Ending. It’s Just Getting Started.
What's Changing
Although the federal grant project known as the CARE Project is coming to an end, the ABC Institute will sustain the lessons learned and develop a new approach to support similar communities through what will now be called the Cultivating Arts-Rich Education (CARE) Program. This program differs from the ABC Institute certification model, in which schools engage in a multi-year process of implementing a standards-based arts education curriculum. Instead, the new CARE Program can help minimally resourced schools begin their journey toward arts-rich learning right away.
A Roadmap for Others
To share what they learned, the CARE Project team translated four years of hard-won lessons into a simple, three-part process any community can follow.
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Listen First
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Talk to students, families, and local artists to find out what barriers exist, and what hidden strengths, like unused instruments or empty storefronts, are already there.
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Design Together
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Bring schools and community partners together as equals to clarify what each side contributes and how to protect the community’s local identity.
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Turn Plans into Action
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Turn shared plans into a clear Plan, Do, Review cycle, from a simple agreement to combining resources to regularly checking progress.
The Download Center
Every guide below comes straight from what actually worked in Allendale and Hampton County. Download what you need, skip what you don’t, and adapt all of it to fit your own community.
Listening Guide
A starting point for talking with students, families, and local artists to understand your community’s needs.
DownloadAsset Map
A tool for mapping the hidden strengths already in your community, from unused instruments to empty storefronts.
DownloadPartnership Design Guide
A framework for building a partnership that benefits everyone at the table.
DownloadAction & Implementation Guide
A practical Plan-Do-Review cycle for turning shared goals into real action.
Download“Expanding access to learning in and through the arts in rural communities is not accomplished through a single program, investment, or partnership.”
Download the Complete PDF Guidebook
Full stories, all five guideposts, and references, ready to share with your school board or community leaders.