The Neighborhood Arts Program (NAP) provides arts programming to children and youth at park and recreation centers located in public housing and low-income neighborhoods. Community School of the Arts has customized programs to meet the needs and interests of the host sites, often based on suggestions by the participants and the teachers. Arts programs include creative writing, tap dance, video production, Native-American culture, visual arts, African dance and choral music. Classes of 10-20 students meet once a week for 10-20 weeks. It is not unusual for a child to take more than one class at a time or to take NAP classes for several years. Professional artists teach these classes and are selected for both their teaching competence and their ability to serve as role models. At the completion of a class, students receive a certificate of achievement and exhibit their creative talents at an "art sharing" open to the public. "A stabilizing factor of the Program is the instructors," says Carol Nash, the ProgramÌs outreach director. "The teachers know the parents, attend community meetings and recruit students. Many teachers are an integral part of these communities."