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CONFIDENT LEARNERS,
A POSITIVE CULTURE,
AN EMPOWERED COMMUNITY,
THIS IS A CHOOSE CREATIVITY SCHOOL.

When teachers bring our Learn with Creative Confidence curriculum to life
in their classrooms, they are transforming their school and their students’ lives.
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BUILDING RESILIENT INDIVIDUALS AND LIFELONG LEARNERS

Creative confidence – the ability to affect positive change in one’s world – is a superpower for humankind.

We empower educators, children, and their families to build creative confidence using our 10 Principles of Creativity. The Principles are: Authentic, Curious, Resourceful, Patient, Expressive, Present, Intuitive, Unconventional, Inventive, and Inspired.

We provide our partners, from individual teachers to entire schools, with bilingual curriculum, training, and on-going support to integrate the 10 Principles into all aspects of the educational setting at a cost that meets any budget.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR CURRICULUM

OUR IMPACT IN EAST HARLEM

“In 2022, I walked into Mosaic Prep and we had nine different social emotional learning programs that failed to capture the challenges of the school community. When I learned about the Principles of Choose Creativity and the unconventional, inventive ways that we could build on the intrinsic core values of our students, I jumped at the opportunity to integrate this program. The Choose Creativity framework is so simple yet so impactful. It fosters a belief that every child, given the right tools, can navigate frustration, joy, excitement and any other personal experience.”
– Dáliz Vásquez, Principal of Mosaic Prep in East Harlem, NYC

See how our curriculum has impacted the school community at Mosaic Prep in East Harlem

THE PILLARS OF OUR PROGRAMMING ARE 10 PRINCIPLES OF CREATIVITY

We help teachers integrate the 10 Principles into all aspects of the school day. The Principles provide a consistent, constructive vocabulary to develop confident learners and to create a positive climate and culture in the learning environment.

AUTHENTIC

My ideas come from who I am

RESOURCEFUL

I can make something from nothing

CURIOUS

I like to learn new things and try out new ideas

UNCONVENTIONAL

I can do things in unexpected ways

PATIENT

I know my best ideas take time

EXPRESSIVE

I can share my feelings in different ways

INTUITIVE

I trust myself and what feels right to me

PRESENT

I pay attention to myself and my world

INVENTIVE

I come up with & use good ideas in all parts of my life

INSPIRED

I get ideas from my everyday life and world

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR IMPACT

CREATIVE CONFIDENCE BUILDS SELF-EFFICACY

When students become confident learners, the likelihood for success is dramatically increased. Legendary Stanford psychology professor Albert Bandura has shown that “our belief systems affect our actions, goals, and perception. Individuals who come to believe that they can effect change in their lives and worlds are more likely to accomplish what they set out to do. [They] set their sights higher, try harder, persevere longer, and show more resilience in the face of [adversity].” (Source: “Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All” by David Kelley and Tom Kelley)

THE STORY OF CHOOSE CREATIVITY

Marina and Kevin Krim established the Lulu & Leo Fund, which developed into Choose Creativity, in memory of their children Lulu and Leo, who were lost in a tragedy in October 2012. The organization’s work seeks to honor the role of creativity in their lives. Marina and Kevin developed the 10 Principles of Creativity directly from their experience of rebuilding their family and lives. To date, Choose Creativity has reached over 1,800 educators and over 30,000 kids.

Marina’s Story
Kevin’s Story

THE CHOOSE CREATIVITY AWARDS

The CCAs celebrate and honor the world’s most inspiring and impactful creators — fierce innovators as we like to call them. The honorees are unique in transcending fields and industries — spanning the arts, sciences, technology, and education.

All proceeds from the CCAs, our main fundraiser, fund the delivery of our Learn with Creative Confidence curriculum to schools across New York City and the country.

Learn more about the ccas

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

"The Learn with Creative Confidence materials are unique and exciting because they harness the power of creativity, integrating children's social-emotional learning into the academic curriculum in a natural and engaging way."
Dr. Stephanie JonesHarvard Graduate School of Education; EASEL lab Director
"I want my kids to build a strong sense of being. With this framework, you see the brightness in the student’s eyes, because not only was it fun, but they can also put it to good use for whatever situation pops up for them."
Kimberly SuazoFacilitator, Children's Aid
"We don't always realize how integrated creativity is in our daily lives. Think about the last problem you resolved — the 10 Principles of Creativity help you understand how you solved it. The impact this program has had on our educators and kids is important and powerful to see."
Jorge BlauClient Engagement Associate & Former Community School Director, National Center for Community Schools
"When we implemented this program, the students and teachers looked forward to each activity. It built a sense of community, positivity, and fun throughout the building. As the Principal of the school, it was rewarding to visit each classroom and see how the teachers and students used and applied the Principles each day. Learn with Creative Confidence provides a structure and shared vocabulary to teach students to become learners with creative confidence."
Terese BoeglyFormer Principal of Conshohocken Elementary School
"The common language of the 10 Principles build a positive school climate by providing opportunities for all of us to connect in a meaningful way. They give our students and families a sense of self-efficacy that empowers them to come to school each day and helps our students develop into confident learners."
Dr. Kristy de la CruzSuperintendent, New York City DOE District 4, East Harlem
"It's very easy to look at the [after-school] curriculum and say, 'Oh, I'll fill this in for an arts and crafts block.' If you have that idea, you have to let it go. It's not just art — that is the modality which we are using to express those 10 different character building traits."
Kristin BrownFormer Lead Specialist, Children's Aid
"At first I thought these words seemed abstract, but kids of all ages just naturally understand them. One of our teachers thought her 8-year-olds were replaced by 20-year-olds from the conversations they were having about Authentic! They just really intuitively understood it."
School CounselorWhetstone Elementary, MD
"At a family bowling night, a parent approached me and shared that they were completing the home activities the teacher was sharing and appreciated learning about the Learn with Creative Confidence program. The parent then said, "Thank you for helping me discover qualities within my child that I didn't know existed".
3rd grade teacher