HISTORY

Young Audiences of St. Louis is part of a network of 32 chapters and affiliates nationwide, with headquarters in New York City. The first chapter began in Baltimore in 1950 when a group of symphony patrons arranged for several professional musicians to perform for a class of schoolchildren. The St. Louis Chapter was founded in 1958. In 1991, we launched the Arts Partners program, which provides residencies for students and professional development for teachers.

Springboard to Learning founder Elise R. Schweich began sharing the cultures of “other lands” with St. Louis schoolchildren in 1965. After several successful programs, Schweich quickly realized that students would also benefit from enrichment lessons in the arts, the sciences, and the humanities. From its inception, Springboard focused on children living in poverty and attending underserved schools. Depending on the semester, around 80% of Springboard programs took place in the Saint Louis public schools. Over the past 40 years, the organization has cultivated well-informed and passionate teachers willing to share their own experiences using hands-on materials to support their lessons. Springboard was the first organization offering in-school enrichment programs that were aligned with the Missouri Show-Me Standards.

In July 2006, Springboard to Learning and Young Audiences of St. Louis merged to become the largest provider of in-school enrichment and arts programs in the region, providing more than 241,000 student contact hours annually.

Today, Springboard to Learning and Young Audiences of St. Louis employs more than 60 teaching specialists in schools throughout the metro region and offers high quality programs featuring nearly 130 of the area’s top professional musicians, dancers, actors, storytellers, and visual and literary artists. Together they present nearly 230 unique programs for students in pre-kindergarten to 12th grade, professional development workshops for teachers, and pre-service activities for college students.

Click here to read a profile about the Founder of Springboard to Learning Elise Schweich or click here to read a profile of Anne Marie Prophete, former Springboard to Learning teaching staff supervisor.