National Endowment for the Arts and the Department of Education in the early 1970’s joined forces to established the Artists-in-Schools Program.  This program would bring professional artists into the schools to work with administrators, to teach children and teachers, and perform in the community.  The program was intended to stimulate education systems to take more responsibility for the arts.  The program was founded on the assumption that the practicing professional artist was the most relevant source for exploring new possibilities of arts in education.  It was a daring initiative.

In 1972, Maida was invited to join with a select group of other dance artists in the United states to develop the policies and practices of the dance component of the Artist-in-Schools program.  National and regional planning meetings were held to establish the agenda.  Maida also participated as a review consultant, selecting the artists and dance companies throughout the United States who would be eligible to participate in the program.

From 1972 through 1981, Maida was intensely involved in this national project as a dance specialist conducting residencies in various states, reviewing programs, and attending national and regional conferences.  Participating state arts council personnel, school principals and superintendents, classroom teachers, dance artists, teachers, and dance company directors, would meet annually for one week for workshops, reports, performances, and discussions.  This became a national forum for artists to exchange philosophies, methods, and materials.  Not only did this program provide substantial work for dancers and companies.  It was one of the rare opportunities for artists to meet, share ideas, creating a rare national network for dance artists.

Maida and one member of the Dance Construction Company performed residencies in Murphreysboro, Tennessee (1973), Columbus, Ohio (1973), McKeesport, Pennsylvania (1974), Litchfield, Connecticut (1974), Western Kentucky University (Jones-Jagger Laboratory School), Western Kentucky University (Jones-Jagger Laboratory School), Kentucky (1975), Illinois State in Normal, Illinois (1977), Newark, Delaware (1978), and Wilmington, Delaware (1981).  Maida reviewed dancers and companies applying to participate as artists in the program. Artists were reviewed on site in Florida, New York, Maryland, Illinois, Connecticut, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Massachusetts (see Appendix IX, Service).

Columbus, Ohio residency provided the opportunity for the Dance Construction Company to perform with John Driscoll, composer/musician,
throughout the museum for the opening celebration of the new contemporary gallery in the Columbus Museum of Art. Dance students from Ohio State University performed with the Dance Construction Company in the Museum for a special afternoon program of dance. See a full description of the performance at https://maidadance.com/works/dance-changing-the-system

The National Endowment for the Arts eventually discontinued direct funding to the program and the initiative was left to the individual states.  Some state programs continued to be very strong.  Artists formed a coalition, Dancers Inc.  to continue the national network.  The candidate completed her extensive involvement with dance education for children and youth in 1972.