By Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation
The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation is honored to welcome Bronx Charter Schools for the Arts (Bronx Arts) to our Grantee Blog. Bronx Arts, a public charter school serving grades K-8 in the South Bronx, believes that a rich and vibrant background in the arts is a key component of academic excellence, and ensures that students develop the creativity, drive, and curiosity they need to achieve their dreams.
Courtesy of Bronx Charter School for the Arts
An afterschool movement led by Bronx Arts establishes a safe, productive environment for students to channel their creativity and explore Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) learning. The program, STEAM Afterschool, uses an out-of-the-box enrichment curricula to create STEAM opportunities for students attending the school.
Bronx Arts is recognized as a Reward School by the New York State Department of Education. The designation is earned by less than 1% of public schools and signifies the high achievement and progress of our students. Founded in 2002, Bronx Arts has educated nearly 5,000 students from New York City’s five boroughs and beyond. We believe in every student, every day, and the creation of programs like STEAM Afterschool represents our dedication to providing meaningful care, creating educational equity, and ensuring students have the tools they need for academic success and social development.
Read on to learn more about what becomes possible for our students when they have access to dedicated afterschool support and STEAM education from three Bronx Arts teachers:
Soaring to New Heights
“STEAM activities have grown exponentially across the country, with many schools creating dedicated ‘STEAM Rooms’ for 3D printers, robotics programs, and other new STEAM resources. I am so proud of Bronx Arts for making sure these educational opportunities—that can be cost prohibitive—are available to South Bronx students with STEAM Afterschool. Our students will soar to new heights with this special programming. Our newest addition, a hydroponic tower garden, will help us explore a new unit on urban agriculture and nutrition.”
Doubling Down on our Mission
“Bronx Arts was founded more than 20 years ago to give students resources in the visual and performing arts they otherwise would not have had access to. STEAM Afterschool doubles down on our mission to ensure our students have access to the opportunities that will help them thrive. Today, that means making STEAM more accessible. I just know that our community of curious, creative minds will create something magnificent with access to new STEAM devices and software.”
What Becomes Possible After Afterschool
“Afterschool programs provide meaningful childcare and academic enrichment, learning, and exposure after the school day ends, a crucial act of support for our students and their families. STEAM Afterschool will be a vital time for our students to begin closing the learning gap being created by the proliferation of STEAM programs in more affluent communities. I am excited to see all the ways in which STEAM Afterschool will teach our students to use their voices and talents in new ways. I have no doubt that what they learn through our afterschool programming will lead to exciting new experiences, journeys, and opportunities.”
About Bronx Charter Schools for the Arts
Founded in 2002, Bronx Charter Schools for the Arts is a public charter school guided by the principle that a rich and vibrant background in the arts is a key component of achieving academic excellence. Bronx Arts has educated nearly 5,000 students. Bronx Arts has been named a Reward School—an honor earned by less than 1% of public schools—by the New York State Department of Education and was nationally recognized by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as a School of Distinction, a prestigious award for arts education.