Through YEAR-LONG RESIDENCIES DreamYard artists teach collaboratively with classroom teachers for 90 minutes per week and meet for planning sessions for 45 minutes per week. Yearlong residencies last 32 weeks from September to June and disciplines include theater, dance, visual art, film/video, music and creative writing.

BRONX WRITeS, a yearlong poetry slam residency program, uses standards-based literacy methods and curriculum to teach students how to write and perform original poetry. A biannual, school-to-school poetry slam competition is facilitated through videoconferencing technology, engaging hundreds of students in a series of compelling events that culminate in an Open Mic celebration at Lehman College.

The BRONX ARTS LEARNING COMMUNITY (BALC) is a model community partnering DreamYard with 14, K-12th grade Bronx public schools dedicated to building sustainable, continuous art service programs designed to reach 100% of each school’s students. BALC schools engage in the full range of DreamYard’s offerings. Through the BALC, 5,000 students are directly impacted through year-long, multidisciplinary artist residencies, the Bronx Writes poetry program, specially designed professional development and an Annual BALC Festival of student work ranging from performances to exhibitions. The majority of DreamYard’s OSP students are recruited from BALC schools.