Arts for Learning Connecticut (formerly known as Young Audiences of Connecticut)

AFLCT also offers arts learning programs that are more specifically directed toward educational outcomes: arts workshops and residencies. These programs are often provided in more intimate settings—usually a classroom or workshop of 15-25 participants as part of a school or after-school program, and are often designed in partnership with a specific academic focus, tailored to fit the learning needs of the given community. With greater student-artist interaction, the focus is on collaboration and skill-building, in both the arts and possibly a non-arts subject area. These curricular-aligned programs can range from one session (workshops) to multiple sessions (residencies), and can extend across multiple weeks or even an entire year. Implemented by professional Teaching Artists, these programs are also broad in their artistic grounding, and feature a variety of specialities and disciplines across Dance & Movement, Literary Arts & Storytelling, Music, Theatre, and more.

HOT Schools is a whole-school, deep impact, teaching and learning program designed to enrich school culture, expand teacher practice, and improve student engagement through performances, workshops, arts-integrated residencies, and teacher professional development grounded in Social and Emotional Learning, Culturally Responsive Teaching, and Multiple Intelligences Theory.

Designed by the CT Office of the Arts (a division of the Department of Economic and Community Development) over 2 decades ago, HOT Schools was adopted by and relaunched within AFLCT in 2019. The transition of HOT Schools arose from a shared commitment to closing the opportunity and achievement gaps and using the arts to support school improvement, especially within BIPOC, rural, and socioeconomically-challenged communities. As such, we ensure that all partner schools enroll at least the statewide average of BIPOC and/or FRPL-eligible students, 50% and 45%, respectively.