July 23 , 2008 Wonderful information from Martha Runyan:

If you think that art for young children is limited to painted macaroni necklaces and construction-paper hand turkeys, think again. From August 5-8, Young Audiences New Jersey will host “Creativity to Change the World: An Early Childhood Arts Education Summit.” The summit will convene in Princeton, New Jersey, bringing together some of the state’s foremost early childhood arts education experts, school leaders, professional teaching artists, early childhood educators, and sixteen Young Audiences affiliates from across the country including Miami, Dallas and Indianapolis. Guest speakers include Steve Runk, Executive Director of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts; Judy Boyd, Research Project Coordinator, National Institute for Early Childhood Education Research; and a representative from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.

For more than 10 years, Young Audiences New Jersey (YANJ) has been a pioneer in early childhood arts education. Its award-winning programs, Creative Beginnings© and Family Arts and Creativity have informed hundreds of preschool teachers and thousands of children across the state, and are recognized and supported by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, The Prudential Foundation, PNC Grow up Great, Target and Magyar Bank. The summit is made possible through the generous support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, which recognizes YANJ’s early childhood arts education programs for their ability to "provide children with the educational experiences that will prepare them to lead rich and meaningful lives."

Creative Beginnings, a past recipient of the Young Audiences National Project of the Year, is an intensive residency program designed to train and mentor early childhood educators to use the arts in their classroom. At the summit, participants will work with the master teaching artists whose work has touched thousands of students and hundreds of teachers over the years.

Family Arts and Creativity (FAC) is an arts-based family involvement program that brings parents and children together in a series of visual arts, theater, music, movement and creative writing workshops. At the Summit , participants will work with teams of professional artists and teachers who have led hundreds of families in art-making activities that encourage conversation, sharing and community.

The summit is designed to provide a hands-on exploration of techniques and tools that promote imagination and creativity in young children. Participants are expected to come away with new ideas, excitement, and a network of resources to inform and inspire their work with young children. Young Audiences affiliates around the country and New Jersey ’s master preschool teachers will share the exemplary programs they are bringing to early childhood environments. Participants will learn how to make ideas a reality in their school, and how to bring the best arts experiences to their students, parents and communities.

The summit officially begins on Wednesday, August 6, with attendees heading to Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton , where a preliminary groundwork will be laid for the three-day conference. An introduction to trends in the early childhood classroom will lead off the day, followed by Family Arts and Creativity breakout sessions. During these sessions, artists and teachers from New Jersey who have previously participated in Family Arts and Creativity workshops will be on site modeling best practices and demonstrating the program. Participants will end the day at the Nassau Inn with dinner and a live performance by Young Audiences, Inc. Artist of the Year, Ssuuna.

On Thursday, August 7, summit attendees will meet at the Princeton Arts Council’s new Paul Robeson Center for the Arts for an introduction to Creative Beginnings, followed by breakout sessions focused on the program and how to develop early childhood lessons for the classroom. In the last afternoon, participants will have the opportunity to explore Princeton before reconnecting for a hands-on Family Arts and Creativity experience with children and their families from the greater Princeton area. This Family Arts and Creativity workshop is free of charge and open to children of ages 3-5 plus a participating parent or caregiver. Space is limited. To enroll, call Young Audiences at 609-243-9000. Directions and additional information will be sent upon registration.

New Jersey early childhood educators and administrators can register for the summit by calling Young Audiences at 609-243-9000 or visiting www.yanj.org and clicking the Early Childhood Education Summit link.

Founded in 1973, Young Audiences New Jersey (YANJ) provides high-quality performance and artist-in-residence programs to 418,000 children annually. Each year, thousands of teachers and hundreds of artists enliven their performances and enrich their curriculums through YANJ's professional development. YANJ’s artist roster represents all art forms -- from dance and theater to music, language and visual arts. Its programs strengthen the arts in schools, meet local and state curriculum standards, involve families in arts activities, and enrich cultural life in New Jersey 's communities. YANJ is the first arts education organization designated as a major service organization by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and, as part of the national network of Young Audiences, Inc. was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Clinton. Projects like this and the 4,044 programs provided annually by YANJ are made possible in part through a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State and funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.