Thomas Armour Youth Ballet Receives National Accredidation
We are proud to announce that Thomas Armour Youth Ballet has received accreditation, After a three-year self-evaluation process through The Accrediting Commission for Community and Precollegiate Arts Schools (ACCPAS).
WHAT IS ACCPAS?
ACCPAS was created by the Council of Arts Accreditation in 2000. Their purpose is to accredit schools providing non-degree instruction in the arts to children, youth and adults.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE ACCREDITED?
Accreditation validates the quality of the dance instruction at TAYB and confirms the professionalism and value of all aspects of the organization. During the evaluation process all levels of management, leadership, strategic planning, community outreach, vision, and mission are reviewed.
“The process of taking a hard, detailed look at every aspect of our organization was grueling but highly rewarding,” said Executive Artistic Director Ruth Wiesen. “To be recognized nationally for the quality of our programs and dance instruction is a source of great pride for everyone in the TAYB family.”
“Accreditation provides a framework for future planning and accountability,” said board President Daniel Lewis. “The observations of outside evaluators and their advice will be invaluable as TAYB moves forward.”
THOMAS ARMOUR YOUTH BALLET HISTORY.
Thomas Armour Youth Ballet is the oldest school of ballet in Miami, founded as The Miami Conservatory by Thomas Armour in 1949. What started as a scholarship program at the Conservatory for a handful of students in 1987 has grown to encompass TAYB’s main site in South Miami and four neighborhood outreach centers where nearly 1,000 students study dance, are given opportunities to perform, including in the region’s longest-running production of The Nutcracker. Students in the neighborhood centers receive reading, math, music and art instruction, as well as wrap-around services, in addition, to dance every school day and throughout the summer in an all-day camp.
THOMAS ARMOUR YOUTH BALLET’S FUTURE.
TAYB will be expanding its main location and class offerings in the fall of 2020. There will be three new dance studios and a wider variety of dance forms offered.
WHAT ELSE DOES THOMAS ARMOUR YOUTH BALLET OFFER?
In addition to accreditation from ACCPAS, TAYB is licensed as an after-school care facility by the State of Florida’s Department of Children and Families. The Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs helps to fund programming in five neighborhoods. TAYB’s four after-school programs are supported by the Children’s Trust of Miami-Dade County, Miami Foundation, and other foundations and individual donors.
