Background & Mission

For 25 years, IAHE has worked to build better futures for children, their families and their schools by placing artists where they're most needed: in the Summer Arts Institute to teach and mentor teens; in the classroom to improve student learning; in after school programs to provide life skills for disadvantaged youth; and in evening outreach events to unite families and strengthen school-community relationships.

We firmly believe that strengthening educational opportunities for young people and connecting them to their community through the arts is vital for New Jersey's future. We know that reaching children through the arts helps to make them creative, proactive members of their communities and workplaces as adults. This, in turn, keeps the state competitive -- witness, for example, the power of the arts at work in cities such as Newark, Jersey City, and New Brunswick.

Within the last decade, IAHE has emerged as a leader in the field of arts integrated teaching and professional development services. From Trenton to Glen Ridge, and from Vineland to South Amboy, the board, staff, and teaching artists of IAHE work to bring the arts to life in diverse communities. We are dedicated to serving the socially, economically and racially diverse populations throughout the tri-state area. Of the 5,000 students, parents and teachers we serve annually, 35% are African American, 35% are Latino, 10% are Asian, and 20% are White. More than 50% of the communities and families we serve are low-income, with many households headed by single parents.

Governed by a culturally diverse Board of Trustees, IAHE operates with four full-time and four part-timestaff members. A corps of 20 professional teaching artists carry out the programs on a per project basis. Both the Board and the staff boast 100% participation in our Annual Fund Campaign.