ABOUT CCE
arts in education
The Center for Creative Education's mission is to transform teaching and learning through creativity and the arts.
Our History
Our story begins more than 25 years ago. In response to a countywide trend to defund arts education in schools, the Center for Creative Education was created in 1994 as an educational nonprofit that would increase the number of arts offerings in Palm Beach County classrooms and afterschool.
Today, we deliver professional teaching of the arts to more than 9,000 students and hundreds of teachers. We do not replace teachers in music, visual arts, dance, and theater. Our innovative solution is to help community artists restore creativity in classrooms by integrating the arts into core curricula. We also teach the arts in afterschool programs throughout the county, offer summer camp, and provide year-long classes at our center in West Palm Beach.
CCE transforms artists into “teaching” artists who collaborate with classroom teachers to demonstrate how creativity and the arts can benefit the learning process for all students. Our collaborative, professional development model continues to be one of the most impactful advancements that CCE has given to the School District of Palm Beach County.
CCE’s Vision is to be a leader in transforming educational environments and systems to better prepare students to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century with courage and confidence.
Our Students
A majority of the students we work with live in economically and socially challenging circumstances and are considered “at risk” of educational failure. Teaching creativity through arts-integrated programs provides a very powerful way to improve all students’ chances of success. We cultivate students’ social-emotional skills that lead to growth mindsets.
CCE also develops students’ creative thinking and problem-solving skills. We help all our students by encouraging work on art-based projects that invite exploration, inventiveness, team building, and cooperation. We believe that positive support for students’ learning process helps to change the way they think about themselves and their experiences at school.
Our Center
CCE's campus located at 2400 Metrocentre Blvd. will include two buildings. The first, a renovated building, will house administrative offices and The Foundations School. The school will feature twelve classrooms. Each class will have no more than fifteen students, ensuring a low teacher-to-student ratio. Additionally, our open collaborative space on the second floor encourages innovation, exploration, and creativity. In Fall 2022 we expanded to serve 4th grade, and in Fall 2023, we will expand to serve 5th grade to continue serving the students who have trusted us with their educational journey.
The second, a newly constructed building will be the Susan and Dom Telesco Arts and Science Center. The Center is a 22,000-square-foot facility, which will feature visual and media arts studios including a Mac Lab, a 200-seat theater, the art gallery, and the new makerspaces. These facilities will allow us to serve the local community, providing opportunities for our neighbors to enjoy live theatre, art shows, and more.