About Us | Dutchess BOCES

Nature of Service

Dutchess County BOCES operates a shared service designed to integrate the arts into the K-12 instructional program as outlined by the NYSED incentive program to promote arts in education. (This New York State program, which became part of the BOCES Section in NYS Education Law in 1985, allows public school districts served by BOCES to receive state aid for expenditures incurred when a district presents arts in education residencies, workshops or performances for their students and teachers.) Areas may include music, drama, dance, writing, and the visual and media arts. Staff development related to a specific arts activity may also be provided. It provides a cost-effective way for school districts to bring arts programs to their students.

How It Works

Each Dutchess County member school district has an arts-in-education coordinator who assists in the planning, scheduling, booking and evaluation of school arts-in-education programs.
Completed contracts are then sent to BOCES for approval at least 1 month prior to the performance.
Please see the guidelines section of this site for instructions on completing contracts, purchasing theatre/museum tickets, and criteria necessary for approval.
BOCES pays the artist directly once the program has occurred and been verified and the artist/school evaluations have been received.
The following year, the school district is reimbursed for part of the costs of the programs based on the district’s state aid formula.

If you have further questions regarding this service, you can contact: Maria DeWald at 845-496-4840, ext.4581 or maria.dewald@dcboces.org

Valuable Resources from BOCES

The Arts Resource Directory Website lists many programs that can be researched by artist/presenter, topic, categories, and sub-categories such as: dance, literature, music, theatre, puppets, visual arts, etc. Anyone can use this on-line directory.
PTAs/school staff can use this directory to help make their selections, but are not limited to these programs. Aid is also available for theatre and museum visits, performances, workshops or residencies; participation fees to museums or art councils; staff development consultants and workshops. Aid is available during the school year for arts-related programs and other arts related field trips and student art workshops. Staff development art workshops/conferences are eligible all year long.
Monthly calendar enables PTAs/school staff to preview programs in local schools
Coordinators meetings allows for sharing of information about programs/resources

Benefits to School Districts

In the first state aid payment of the following year, districts receive state aid on all programs, thereby making additional money available for student arts in education programs.
BOCES handles the paper work and payment
Workshops, networking, artist files

Facts

Arts-rich education programs keep students engaged and interested in school
Research states that students who participate in arts programs, especially students identified as at risk of educational failure, are less likely to drop out of school
Involvement in arts-rich programs affects student success in other areas like math and reading
Students in learning environments with diverse, high-quality arts education offerings have higher achievement than students in arts-poor communities.

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