Celebrating 20 years of empowering families through play, nature and the arts.
Sunflower Creative Arts is a nonprofit organization that offers arts enrichment classes for babies through teens and their families. We empower children to find their own unique voices through play, nature and the arts. Classes include art and play-based mommy & me, Seedlings parent/child co-operative program for ages 2.5 to 6, and after-school enrichment programs (including theatre, Shakespeare and improv) for young children to teens. All of our classes offer opportunities for kids and their parents to learn life skills --like effective communication, conflict resolution and problem-solving-- in a creative, fun, hands-on, creative arts-based environment.
Mission and Philosophy
The mission of Sunflower Creative Arts is to give children the freedom to discover their unique passions and the support necessary for each one to develop a strong personal voice. A key component to fulfilling this mission is providing children with opportunities for learning through play, nature, and the arts, while increasing the community’s understanding of the importance of these experiences for healthy child development.
All of our programs are designed to focus on the Development of the Whole Child.
We advocate respect for children's choices. In our creative arts programs children have the freedom to choose their own activities. In our theatre programs they create whole plays, developing the characters, dialogue, plot, costumes and sets. We believe that this gift of freedom, coupled with loving adult guidance, helps children develop a deep and solid understanding of themselves.
We view children not as clay to be molded or shaped by adult knowledge, but as seedlings in need of nurturing, space and time, and a rich environment in order to grow in the unique way intended for each one. We value the experience of pure joy and wonder in the lives of children. We respect the individual thoughts, emotions and words of each child. We believe that this enables them to develop trust in their own feelings and a high level of self-awareness. We have faith that in addition to helping them live satisfying lives, this self-awareness can help keep them safe in the world, by encouraging each one to pay attention to his or her own inner voice.
History
Twenty years ago some of Susan Caruso’s close friends urged her to find a stable home base for her music and arts enrichment programs and helped her start the Sunflower Project. They recognized the very special gifts and love she brings to working with children. Susan has always been able to pay attention to and honor the uniqueness in each child she works with, respecting their thoughts, interest, needs and passions.
The foundations of even these earliest classes were child led play, process oriented art, time outside, parent support, peaceful problem solving and communication skills, and nurturing the voice of each individual child.
After running the Sunflower Project’s successful classes and programs for children and families for 10 years, Sunflower Creative Arts was formed as a nonprofit organization to meet the needs of more children, parents and teachers in the wider community.
Since January of 2003 Sunflower Creative Arts has been serving Palm Beach and Broward County with 501(c)(3) status. Sunflower rents classroom and playground space from the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Boca Raton located at 2601 Saint Andrews Blvd.
Through fund-raising, we aim to make our programs available to all who seek them, regardless of their ability to pay, and we strive to promote developmentally appropriate practices among those serving children in south Florida. By collaborating with other non-profit organizations in our outreach programs, we continually work towards being better able to provide high quality arts education for all children in our community.
© Copyright 2006-2013, Sunflower Creative Arts, Inc.
Sunflower Creative Arts, Inc. is a 501c3 organization, which provides its services and benefits to children and families without regard to race, color, nationality, religion or ethnic origin.
