IV 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 356 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 28, 2025 Ms. Velázquez submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce RESOLUTION Expressing support for the designation of April 13, 2025, through April 26, 2025, as National Young Audiences Arts for Learning Week .

Whereas arts education, comprising a rich array of disciplines including dance, music, theater, media arts, literature, design, and visual arts, is an essential element of a complete and well-rounded education for all students; Whereas arts education enables students to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, imagination and creativity, discipline, alternative ways to communicate and express feelings and ideas, and cross-cultural understanding, which supports academic success nationwide as well as personal growth outside the classroom; Whereas arts education provides a well-researched and proven methodology to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all students, especially for English language learners and students with special needs; Whereas the nonprofit arts sector is an economic engine and plays a significant role in the economic health of communities large and small with direct expenditures of wages and benefits as well as goods and services; Whereas, to succeed in today’s economy, students must masterfully use words, images, sounds, and movement to communicate; Whereas Young Audiences Arts for Learning impacts over 4,999,276 participants annually with valuable arts-in-education programs; Whereas Young Audiences Arts for Learning presents more than 87,170 arts-in-education programs to students and teachers; Whereas Young Audiences Arts for Learning works with 55,335 school educators and teaching artists; Whereas Young Audiences Arts for Learning produces programs in more than 4,170 schools and community centers annually; Whereas Young Audiences Arts for Learning encompasses 30 affiliates across the country, and the entire network of such affiliates is participating in the 2025 National Young Audiences Arts for Learning Week ; Whereas Young Audiences New York implemented over 200 programs serving 22 partnering schools and institutions in all 5 boroughs of New York City, including 156 integrated residency programs steeped in arts learning and arts integration practices in such areas as music, dance, visual and design arts, theater, media arts and technology in predominantly title I public school settings exploring teaching and learning pedagogy addressing the needs of all students; Whereas Arts for Learning Western New York partnered with schools and institutions impacting 17,122 student learners in 9 counties of western New York State integrating the arts into such area as STEM, Language Arts, Social Studies, Character Education Environmental Awareness, Health and Nutrition; Whereas Arkansas Learning through the Arts delivered 151 arts-integrated programs to more than 6,722 students across the State of Arkansas; Whereas Arts for Arts & Learning Conservatory joined the national Young Audiences Arts for Learning network last year in 2024 impacting 3,800 students throughout Southern California; Whereas Arts Education Collaborative, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, delivered professional learning programs throughout western Pennsylvania; Whereas Arts for Learning Connecticut worked with 124,129 students in the State of Connecticut last year in 2024; Whereas Arts for Learning Indiana engaged 153 collaborating partners to deliver arts-integrated programs to nearly 12,823 students in the State?; Whereas Arts for Learning Maryland partnered with nearly 522 schools and community organizations in all 24 Maryland school districts to provide arts learning programs to 215,269 participants from prekindergarten through grade 12; Whereas Arts for Learning Miami provided more than 65 programs reaching youth from infancy through high school graduation, in collaboration with 77 partnering institutions; Whereas Arts for Learning Santa Cruz County, AZ, provided arts-based learning programs to 4,086 students throughout Santa Cruz County; Whereas Arts for Learning Virginia served 38,425 students across the State of Virginia last year 2024; Whereas Arts Partners, Wichita, Kansas, provided over 2,486 programs to 45,130 local students; Whereas ArtsNOW Learning in Atlanta, Georgia, partnered with 274 institutions throughout the Southeast United States involving over 31,088 participants; Whereas Center for Arts-Inspired Learning, in Cleveland, Ohio, provided nearly 6,689 programs for more than 154,719 participants; Whereas Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education worked with 5,945 students in 60 Chicago Public Schools settings; Whereas Kansas City Young Audiences in Missouri, the largest nonprofit arts education provider in the region, served over 104,373 students; Whereas Springboard to Learning, in St. Louis, Missouri, delivered 4,415 programs to students in schools and community venues; Whereas Think 360 Arts for Learning, in Denver, Colorado, worked with more than 20,103 students across the State; Whereas Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania provided programming to students throughout the region in collaboration with 600 schools and partnering organizations; Whereas Young Audiences of Abilene reached approximately 9,687 students last year in 2024; Whereas Young Audiences of Houston provided over 327 programs to more than 235,890 students; Whereas Young Audiences of Louisiana served more than 33,017 learners including students, faculty and families at the Young Audiences Charter Schools in Jefferson and Orleans Parish; Whereas Arts for Learning Massachusetts reached approximately 147,211 students in the State of Massachusetts; Whereas Young Audiences of Northeast Texas brought quality arts in education experiences to nearly 64,814 learners in northeast Texas; Whereas Young Audiences of Northern California impacted over 44,417 students in the Bay Area this past year in 2024; Whereas Arts for Learning Northwest partnered with 167 institutions to engage over 49,457 program participants across the region; Whereas Young Audiences of Southeast Texas partnered with schools throughout the region to deliver programming that integrates arts into all traditional areas of academic study to students in prekindergarten through grade 12; Whereas Young Audiences of Lubbock (Texas) joined the Young Audiences Arts for Learning national network in November 2022 and during its first year implemented 20 programs in 19 schools; and Whereas April 13, 2025, through April 26, 2025, would be an appropriate period to designate as National Young Audiences Arts for Learning Week : Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1) supports the designation of National Young Audiences Arts for Learning Week ; (2) honors and recognizes the contributions which Young Audiences Arts for Learning programs have made in enriching the lives of students, teachers, volunteers, families, and communities, and pays tribute to arts in education and its contribution to society; and (3) encourages the people of the United States to observe National Young Audiences Arts for Learning Week with appropriate ceremonies and activities that promote awareness of the role that arts in education plays in enriching the education of young people and enriching United States society as a whole.