Thursday, July 26, 2012

COCA for Kids - Sharing the love of Fine Arts

Summer is not over yet! And what parent stops searching for great ideas?

In case you missed our sister Amanda (Univ of AL, Alpha Upsilon) quoted in the Tallahassee Democrat we saved a copy for your enjoyment!

COCA creates guide for creative kids

11:47 PM, Jun 2, 2012  

Trying to decide what activity to enroll a child in can be difficult. Figuring out dates and times, prices, availability and which program is the right one can be even more difficult.


Luckily, the Council on Culture & Arts has launched a guide that will make life a little bit easier for Tallahassee parents, grandparents and caregivers.


COCA for Kids (www.cocanet.org/kids) is a guide made specifically to help connect kids with not only the activities they are interested in but also the programs that are right for them.


"It's really a resource guide directed to parents, grandparents and caregivers of creative kids," said Amanda Thompson, COCA's Education and Exhibitions director. "It makes it really easy for parents who are busy to learn about opportunities available to their kids."


COCA for Kids features more than 150 programs which focus on dance, music, theater, history and other cultural activities, Thompson said. They include after-school programs, weekend programs, summer camps, individual lessons, birthday parties and more.


Currently, the guide has 60 organizations offering these programs, but additions will be made through the year, and it is constantly updated, she said. Programs range for everyone from infants to 19-year-olds.


The organizations and activities are researched by COCA and then separated into categories based on interest, age or type of program such as after-school or summer camp, to make finding them extra easy, Thompson said.


The guide was created as a result of parents frequently calling COCA to learn what creative programs were available for their kids, she said. Since COCA is the local art agency, it made sense parents would turn to them, Thompson added.


The guide also will help parents save time by avoiding the need to search multiple websites to compare programs.


"We are a one-stop shop," Thompson said. "In addition to listing all the activities, the COCA for Kids guide features the dates, times and prices for each program."

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