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Founders
Gail Velez and Edwina Meyers, Cool Culture's Founders and Board Co-Chairs,
established Cool Culture to address the absence of low-income families
in the audiences of New York's wonderful arts, cultural, and scientific
institutions.
Both women have extensive experience in early childhood education and
family learning. Ms. Velez, a former Head Start Director, is now the President
of Family Publications, which publishes informational guides for parents
and teachers on activities to share with children. Ms. Meyers has over
20 years experience at the Administration for Children's Services, including
serving as Deputy Commissioner for the Agency for Child Development, and
is now the Director for External Affairs at the Agency.
From Concept to Reality
In 1997 Ms. Velez and Ms. Meyers formed the Cultural Development Task
Force, a group of arts educators, museum personnel, child care agency
managers, and low-income parent representatives dedicated to finding
ways to make cultural institutions more accessible to low-income New
Yorkers. From a series of discussions, meetings, and focus groups came
the concept of Passport to Summer Adventure, a summer program providing
free admission and information for museums and other cultural institutions
to designated Head Start and Day Care centers.
In 1999, based on the success of Passport to Summer Adventure, Ms.
Velez and Ms. Meyers introduced the year-round Cool Culture program
with 75 Head Start and Day Care centers and 12 cultural institutions
participating. Cool Culture has grown every year since. This year
the organization will work with over
450 Head Start, city-funded child care centers and public school Pre-K
programs
and has over 75 cultural institution
partners.
Read a letter from the Founders.
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