Poverty and its effects on children’s mental and physical wellbeing as well cognitive abilities are well documented. One such proposition to mitigate negative mental health outcomes is to provide intervention programs. One such environment that cushions the hardships of poverty would be an enrichment program that develops multiple growth opportunities. A good place to start would be a child’s second home, academia, specifically at the foundational level, k-5.
Intervention Opportunity for K-5 Students
School is the second most important environment for learning, nurturing, social skills, life skills, and self awareness. As a result, a student needs to see this environment as a place where they feel safe, where they are accepted, encouraged, championed, and allowed to learn and explore their immediate world as well as the world at large. The environment must model best practices in education that have garnered results while taking into consideration the unique needs of the immediate community. In addition to studies that are mandated by state and federal agencies, I would include Fine Arts studies in the curriculum as a means of teaching the humanities and creative opportunities that provide for expression and innovation. Studies have established a link between making activities and spatial reasoning. Spatial reasoning is instrumental in STEM related studies. Places of higher education and the U.S. Department of Education have identified that the nation needs more well rounded students and more innovation from it’s educated public. A Fine Arts Curriculum is necessary to round out students education as well as provide for opportunities of community, self actualization, and therapeutic avenues that help mitigate hardships in their personal lives.
Location
The Fine Arts program would be located at a primary school site, K-5 setting. Where age appropriate material would be discussed at the beginning of the lesson, with a hands on lesson to follow.
Target Audience
Children from kindergarten through fifth grade would be provided a Fine Arts lesson monthly or bi-weekly based on the curriculum and National monthly holiday celebrated, i.e. Women’s History month, African American Heritage Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, etc. where artists from around the world, all genders represented, geography and medium would be discussed either by book for younger students, and through lectures for upper class men during normal school period, typically during english class. An example of a lesson would be for Hispanic History Month. Advertise the celebration in advance to families, solicit participation by Spanish speaking children and parents, develop curriculum for artist of choice involving book or lecture. Discuss artist, geography and influences, medium of artist choice, and lesson where students create artwork.
Humanistic Model
I would choose the Humanistic Model as I am firm believer in positive experiences and Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. If you are a child whose talents and interests are more in line with artistic endeavors, but are not afforded an opportunity to express it, you are less likely to find community at your school and you are sent a very powerful message that sports and math are the only subjects of importance. I have witnessed what it means to provide children k-5 a Fine Arts experience during the school day as a part of their curriculum. They look forward to those days, they are excited and engaged. They are proud of their creations and eager to share with anyone interested. When needs are met, such as “personally meaningful experiences, innate motivations for health growth, and the child’s purposeful creation of self” (24) are met, this contributes to interventions that help fuel identity and resilience.
Effectiveness
As for how effective the program was, I know that the school site administration credited me with helping the school to earn the coveted National Blue Ribbon Schools award for exemplary performance, as well as recognize and award me at the school district level. I created, developed and ran this program for 12 years. The current school administration told me “your legacy lives on”. I know that this program was instrumental in providing an enriching experience for the k-5 children, it provided parents an opportunity to see what their children were capable of creating with their imagination and innovative minds. It created several generations of children who through six years of Fine Arts lessons are better able to appreciate the arts which is cultural capital. When you have a school environment that considers all children’s needs, you are more likely to have more engaged students who feel seen and valued. All these factors contribute to a better sense of self and possibilities.
References
Parritz, R. H., & Troy, M. F. (2018). Disorders of childhood: Development and psychopathology
(3rd ed.). Cengage Learning.