Who We Are: 

The TakePART Initiative is a collaborative partnership between arts education, philanthropic, health, community organizations, and five school districts in the Centinela Valley region who have come together to ensure that the over 20,000 children in this region have similar access to quality, sequential arts education from Kindergarten to 12th grade.

Ten Year Initiative Vision and Goals:

In ten years participating districts will realize a shared philosophy that arts should be positioned as core subjects and an essential to community life by collaboratively developing capital and community assets to sustain regional arts programs, and conducting ongoing professional development, community engagement, and formal reflective practice.

~ TakePART Initiative Steering Committee Vision Statement, September 2010

School wind chorus performing at the festival

TakePART Initiative Overview:

Building out from the district-wide arts initiative funded since 2004 by the Herb Alpert Foundation in Lawndale, CA, TakePART represents a collaborative venture between five underserved school districts in the Centinela Valley region. The goal of TakePART is to ensure that the over 20,000 children in this region have similar access to quality, sequential arts education from Kindergarten to 12th grade. The TakePART leadership committee guides the initiative and is facilitated by nonprofit service provider, P.S. ARTS. District leadership, teachers, parents, and other community partners serve on the leadership committee. With the help of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the TakePART leadership committee created a strategic framework around three dimensions of a sustainable arts program:

1) Developing human and financial capacity

2) Creating a sequential, standards-based curriculum and providing ongoing training for teachers

3) Building a strong community of arts supporters and advocates

The fundamental assumption of the TakePART regional model is that the reach and quality of the arts programs in all five school districts will be increased by sharing resources, aligning curricula and assessment practices, and decreasing administrative costs, all of which are accomplished through a collaborative planning process. In 2010, the Herb Alpert Foundation granted seed funding to implement the first major TakePART program, a regional youth orchestra provided by the Harmony Project with support from P.S. ARTS. The first TakePART regional arts festival featuring visual art and performances by children in all five school districts was held in 2012. The success of the regional orchestra and festival has garnered additional funding for TakePART from the W. H. Keck, Parsons, Green foundations and others. TakePART received an official certificate of recognition from Congresswoman Maxine Waters in both 2012 and 2013.