Welcome to the NYC Arts in Education COVID-19 Resource Page!
Last updated August 11, 2020
As a main convening body for NYC’s arts in education community, the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable will continue to serve as a consistent entity for organizations and individuals to turn to for support, guidance, and solidarity as we all grapple with the impact of COVID-19. We understand the stress and uncertainty of this situation can be draining and it’s impact far-reaching. We will continue to advocate for our community and share updates from the field as they become available.
On this webpage, you will find:
- Arts in Education Webinars for Arts Administrators and Teaching Artists
- School Re-Opening Information
- Arts Education Resource List
- NYC Resource List
- New York City Department of Education Updates
- Teaching Artists of the Roundtable: A New Blog Series
- Advocacy Resources
- Ways to Stay Connected
Have a question or suggested resource? Please complete this suggestion form. Our Roundtable staff is also here to help! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@nycaieroundtable.org.
Arts in Education Webinars

NYCAIER Community Conversation on COVID 19 for Arts Administrators: Part Three
In response to the significant impact COVID-19 has had on the landscape of arts education and returning to school in September, the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable invited arts administrators to join us for “Part Three” of our COVID-19 Community Conversations series. This Zoom meeting provided a digital space for arts administrators to share strategies, lessons learned, and crowdsource action-plans in order to best support our programs, organizations, teaching artists, and students. Access resources from this webinar here.
NYCAIER Community Conversation on COVID-19
On March 10, 2020, the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable hosted a Zoom Video Conference call in response to the recent COVID-19 outbreak. We hope our community can use this as a resource to share strategies to overcome this challenge in order to best support our programs, organizations, and teaching artists.
Teaching Artist COVID-19 Community Conversation
On Friday, March 13, 2020, the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable, Association of Teaching Artists, Teaching Artists Guild, Creative Generation, National Guild for Community Arts Education, and Teaching Artists of the Mid-Atlantic hosted a free webinar to address how the COVID-19 health crisis is affecting teaching artists.

NYCAIER Community Conversation: Part Two
On March 25, 2020, the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable hosted a community conversation with almost 300 participants to discuss the significant impact the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak has had on the landscape of arts education. Thank you to our community for sharing resources, tips and strategies!
Please visit our website for a transcript of the chat box conversation and a transcript of the conversation: nycaieroundtable.org/events/community-conversation-on-covid-19-part-two/
A Roundtable Conversation on Unemployment
On April 22, 2020 the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable hosted a community conversation around the challenges on navigating unemployment. Roundtable Co-Chair Sobha Kavanakudiyil moderated a conversation with educator Daniel Sullivan, administrator Erika Atkins, and the Roundtable Community to discuss issues around applying for unemployment, and to crowd-source and share resources for both administrators and teaching artists.
A Roundtable Conversation: Advocacy in Action
On May 13, 2020, NYC Arts in Education Roundtable hosted a community conversation on ways to advocate for continued access to arts education during COVID-19. Community members shared lessons learned while providing in-school programs and began the community-wide conversation on how we can use our collective impact to move the field forward.School Reopening
The deadline for NYC school reopening plans is August 7, 2020. We will post resources, news, and information related to NYC/NYS reopening guidelines here.
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Guidance for Linking DOE Accounts with CBO Partners on Remote Learning Platforms — Step by step instructions for granting a CBO partner access to DOE remote learning platforms
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Recovering, Rebuilding, and Renewing: The Spirit of NY’s Schools – Reopening Guidance (7/16/2020) — **OFFICIAL NYS GUIDELINES** Arts Ed. on p. 99-101
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NYS Department of Health Interim Guidance for In-Person Instruction at Pre-K to Grade 12 Schools During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (7/13/2020)
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Reopening New York: Guidelines for In-Person Instruction at Pre-K to Grade 12 Schools (7/13/2020) — Easy to read chart of state guidelines
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PRESENTATION TO BOARD OF REGENTS: Recovering, Rebuilding, and Renewing: the Spirit of New York’s Schools Reopening Guidance (7/13/2020)
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NYC DOE’s Return to School 2020 Website (updated regularly)
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VIDEO: Mayor Bill de Blasio & Chancellor Carranza Press Conference introducing “Return to School” with Blend Learning Model information (7/8/2020)
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VIDEO: Return to School Family and Student Information Session (7/16/2020) — Note: Sound quality improves at 00:53
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Register for Upcoming NYC DOE Return to School Family and Student Information Sessions (7/28, 8/12, 8/27)
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Key dates you need to know leading up to 2020-2021 NYC school year (7/15/2020)
Arts Reopening Resources
The following is a list of resources from state and national stakeholders with arts discipline-specific reopening recommendations:
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Arizona Arts & Physical Education Re-Entry (Arizona Department of Education)
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COVID-19 instrument Cleaning Guidelines (National Federation of State High School Associations, National Associations for Music Education, & the NAMM Foundation)
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Considerations and Program Ideas for Band Teachers (School Bands Committee of the American Bandmasters Association)
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National Art Education Association’s Preparing for the 2020-2021 School Year (National Art Education Association)
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Recommendations for Reopening School Theatre Programs (Educational Theatre Association)
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Return to Dancing and Training Considerations due to COVID-19 (DANCE/USA)
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September Ready Fall 2020 Guidance for Arts Education (Arts Ed NJ)
Key Dates
- July 28: 2nd NYC DOE Family and Student Information Session
- July 31: By this date, all NYS districts and schools are required to create reopening plans and submit them to the state.
- First Week of August: Gov. Andrew Cuomo will decide whether NYC can open for in-person instruction (region must stay under a 5% infection rate).
- August 12: 3rd NYC DOE Family and Student Information Session
- August 14: Schools must select their programming model choice from one of five programming options.
- August 21: Schools may opt to request an exception for their school programming model. Those exceptions will be approved by this date.
- August 27: 4th NYC DOE Family and Student Information Session
- September 10: Expected First Day of School for NYC Public Schools
#ArtsEd Resource Page
“On Friday, March 13, 2020, the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable joined with the Association of Teaching Artists, the National Guild for Community Arts Education, Creative Generation, Teaching Artists Guild, and the Teaching Artists of the Mid-Atlantic to present a webinar for teaching artists bracing for the impact of COVID-19 on the United States.
During the webinar, many excellent resources were shared by panelists and participants alike, and there were numerous requests for a “master list” to be collected and published for the benefit of everyone in the field.” (Credit: Text from Teaching Artists Guild resource website.)
We are so grateful for our collaborators at the Teaching Artists Guild who published this master list of resources. Please take a look and feel free to submit more resources for the benefit of the community!
New York City Resource List
Labor and business laws vary by location. We’ve started to compile a list of resources relevant to our NYC community:
- U.S. Small Business Association Disaster Loan Assistance
- Artist Relief– Relief Grants for Artists
- COVID-19 Impact on Nonprofit Arts and Culture in New York City (SMU DataArts)
- Governor Cuomo Announces New COVID Rental Assistance Program (NYS, 7/14/2020)
- Youth Protection and Liability Concerns in Remote Learning (Lawyers Alliance for NY)
- Apply for Arbor Brothers 2020 Grants for Nonprofits
- Take a Break with PASE– Fridays at 11:00am Weekly Sessions
- NYFA Tri-State Relief Fund to Support Non-Salaried Workers in the Visual Arts
- NYC Department of Cultural Affairs COVID-19 Resources
- Assistance & Guidance for Businesses Impacted Due to Novel Coronavirus
- NYC Employee Retention Grant Program (grant for small businesses covering up to 40% of their payroll for two months)
- NYC’s Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law
- Information on Filing for NYS Unemployment Insurance
- Emergency Executive Order 100
- NYS Arts Go Online: Virtual Events for All Ages (share your virtual events to be posted to the NYSCA)
- Solicitation Template: Fundraising in Difficult Times (Fractured Atlas)
- “One Shot Deal” Emergency Assistance Program (NYC Department of Human Resources Administration)
- Freelance Isn’t Free Information Page (NYC Department of Consumer Affairs)
- Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
- Resources for Mental Health and Talking to Young People About COVID-19 (New York State Department of Education)
- “Untitled” Radio Show Hosted by Malika Lee Whitney (Tune into the 3/20/2020 episode entitled, “The Impact of the Epidemic on Arts in Education” to hear Roundtable Managing Director, Kimberly Olsen)
New York City Department of Education Updates
We will continue to post updates from the Office of Arts & Special Projects that have been communicated to our community via social media and e-blast.
On March 25, 2020, the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable hosted a COVID-19 Community Conversation with almost 300 participants to discuss the significant impact the coronavirus outbreak has had on the landscape of arts education.
A list of questions for the NYC Department of Education was generated and forwarded to the NYCDOE’s Office of Arts and Special Projects. Please click below to access a PDF with their responses (as of March 30, 2020).
The Roundtable recognizes that are still many unknowns as schools navigate the transition into remote learning. We hear your concerns, and we value your commitment. The Roundtable Board of Directors and staff are grateful for our valued partnership with the NYCDOE’s Office of Arts and Special Projects, and we will continue to work with them to swiftly communicate information to the field.
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“During this unprecedented shut down of NYC DOE school sites, the Office of Arts and Special Projects worked with senior leaders at DOE to make accommodations to better support schools and our students’ arts education. For the time during which students are not in attendance at DOE school sites:
- The DOE will have limited administrative personnel available throughout the time when schools are not in attendance, including limited vendor payment staff. While payments may take longer than usual, vendors may submit invoices for services rendered to the school for certification and payment throughout this non-attendance time.
- All supporting documentation rules still apply for payment of invoices. Most frequently, this may be rosters of students in attendance for sessions or other proof of completion of services. Schools may have this documentation, but vendors are encouraged to maintain their own rosters and proof of services rendered for quicker invoicing. Per DOE’s standard process, vendors submit invoices and associated documentation to the school that created the purchase order for certification and payment.
- All purchasing timelines and deadlines for this school year still apply. Each school and district may have slightly different procurement deadlines, but the deadline to create new encumbrances for the 2019-2020 school year is typically in April.
- DOE is only able to pay for services rendered and cannot pay encumbrances in full if full services are not rendered.
- DOE encourages schools and arts and cultural partner organizations with existing encumbered purchase orders for arts education services to be guided by the following:
- Work together to determine how students’ arts learning aligned with the vision and intent of the original scope of services can be delivered remotely;
- For partnerships with existing Purchase Orders (POs) that are able to continue services remotely, schools should note any changes to the original PO specifics due to the transition to remote instruction in the “Notes” section when certifying the services rendered in FAMIS. For example, “Remote delivery of arts education services during Covid-19 school non-attendance days.”
- Schools may also encumber new POs for remote arts learning services during Covid-19 with partner organizations through the DOE procurement deadlines (see above – typically April).
- For partnerships with existing POs that are unable to find ways to continue services remotely, partners should invoice for services rendered. DOE fiscal year funds, including the Office of Arts and Special Projects Arts Partnership Grant funds, do not roll and must be used for services provided within this fiscal year (07/01/2019-06/30/2020).
For questions about Arts Partnership Grants, please reach out to Audrey Cox, Director of Arts Partnerships at ACox16@schools.nyc.gov. For any other questions, please reach out to ArtsAndSpecialProjects@schools.nyc.gov.
Our students’ arts education and creative voice is more important than ever, and the Office of Arts and Special Projects remains committed to supporting the work of our deep and rich school arts partnerships. Thank you for your work on behalf of our students.”
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“During this unprecedented shut down of NYC DOE school sites, the Office of Arts and Special Projects is working with senior leaders at the DOE to solidify updated guidance to arts partner vendors and Arts Partnership Grant recipients. We are waiting on final confirmation, but we want to be as transparent as possible as the DOE works through policy guidance during this time. We are anticipating flexibility with how arts partners may deliver services during this time of non-attendance, including potentially remote services. With increased flexibility, we hope that NYC students will be able to continue to benefit from the rich expertise of our incredible arts and cultural partners. The Office of Arts and Special Projects will follow-up when this guidance has been solidified
Please Note: The DOE is only able to pay for services rendered, and all standard procurement deadlines, invoicing procedures, and required documentation still apply. There will be no exceptions or exemptions to these procedures.”
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“The DOE will maintain at least one person to process vendor payments during the schools shut down. All standard documentation rules apply, so vendors should send an invoice against their purchase order and request a roster or whatever other documentation is required by the school. The school will then send that for certification, processing, and payment. Vendors should do this now to the most prompt payment for services already rendered as school staff are in Wednesday and Thursday of this week. We expect further guidance about future services soon and will update partners when we have it.”
“Businesses with fewer than 100 employees can be eligible for an interest free loan for up to $75,000.” Click here for more information on NYC Assistance & Guidance for Businesses Impacted Due to Novel Coronavirus.
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Teaching Artists Speak Out: Blogs from Quarantine
Stay tuned — As schools remain closed, we’ve invited some “Teaching Artists of the Roundtable” to help us curate a series of blog posts written for and by NYC teaching artists. New posts released weekly.
- Thoughts on Teaching and Connecting and Change by Alex La Torre (Posted on Friday, May 15, 2020)
- From Cardboard to iPads: Teaching Theatre Before, During, and After the Pandemic by Hayley Sherwood (Posted on Friday, May 8, 2020)
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The Click by Renata Townsend (Posted on Tuesday, May 5, 2020) - On Curating Scenes and Monologues for Our Students by Leah Reddy (Posted on Thursday, April 30, 2020)
- When the Hustle Halts by Stephanie Anderson (Posted on Tuesday, April 28, 2020)
- Productivity by Meghan Grover (Posted on Thursday, April 23, 2020)
- The Calm Before the Storm by AnJu Hyppolite (Posted on Tuesday, April 21, 2020)
- Keeping the He(ART) Alive: Adapting and Setting Boundaries by Lauren Extrom (Posted on Thursday, April 16, 2020)
- You’re Not Going to Write King Lear and That’s Okay: On Finding Empowerment Through Art for Art’s Sake under Covid-19 by Chelsea Asher (Posted on Tuesday, April 14, 2020)
- Improvising in Quarantine by Dana Shulman (Posted on Tuesday, April 7, 2020)
- Grief of the Grounded Gig Artist by Dianna Garten (Post on Monday, March 30, 2020)
Advocacy Resources
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COVID-19 Impact on Nonprofit Arts and Culture in New York City (SMU DataArts)
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COVID-19 Advocacy Timeline (NYC Arts in Education Roundtable)
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#ARTSareEssential: A campaign to make visible the importance of the Arts for 1.1 million students in the NYC Public School System (NYC Arts in Education Roundtable)
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ADVOCACY ALERT | NYC AiE Roundtable Needs YOUR Help (NYC Arts in Education Roundtable)
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REPORT Our Community Responds: How Funders Can Support Arts Education Despite COVID-19 (Creative Generation)
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Urge Congress to Support Museum Community Economic Relief (American Alliance of Museums)
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COVID-19 Teaching Artist Advocacy Letter to Elected Officials (Teaching Artist Guild)
Ways to Stay Connected