Mission:
Neighborhood Players is a charitable group organized and operated for educational purposes, for purposes beneficial to the public interest, using the arts (primarily music, dance, theatre) to assist the underprivileged and the distressed in forums including, but not limited to, disadvantaged schools; providing advancement of education, lessening of neighborhood tensions, intergenerational community support, skills useful to individuals and beneficial to the community.

Program:
Called Little Songs, the program uses music (original songs), dance/movement, theatre, and sign language. Educators utilize an interactive DVD and/or CD which also integrates educational curriculum. In Cleveland, Little Songs can be found in the Cuyahoga County Library System, Case Western Reserve University, Positive Education Program, Metro Catholic, Sunbeam School, Willoughby Montesorri, Ronald McDonald Children’s Hospital, just to mention a few.

Little Songs has been donated to New York Public Schools, Cleveland Municipal School District, Atlanta Public Schools and Chicago Public Schools. For example, Chicago Public Schools will be using Little Songs as part of their curriculum in all 100+ Pre-K schools. Neighborhood Players will also be providing Teacher and Parent Workshops free of charge which will demonstrate how to utilize the program.

Nonprofit status:
Slavic Village Development, a non-profit community development corporation, is acting as Fiscal Agent for Neighborhood Players. Barnes Wendling CPAs, Inc. is in the process of filing 501c3. Articles of incorporation are complete, and NP has an FEIN.

Funding & Experience:
NP is in its second year of funding from Neighborhood Connections, The Alcoa Foundation, and Kiwanis. NP teaching artists have decades of experience and are accredited by Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio and The Ohio Arts Council.