Arts-integration professional development for early childhood educators
Incorporating the arts in early childhood education is proven to engage young learners in deeper, more meaningful learning experiences. But teachers need the tools to make it possible—that’s where we come in.
Hands-on professional development in and out of the classrooms
Wolf Trap Institute provides time-tested, research-driven arts-integration professional development programs for early childhood educators.
We offer multi-week classroom residency programs, partial- and full-day workshops, and digital arts education resources. Our approach is effective and customized to infant, toddler, preschool, and kindergarten teachers’ needs. Educators participating in Wolf Trap professional development programs can apply the skills they learn right away and in future lessons.
Classroom residencies
Classroom residencies are at the heart of Wolf Trap Institute’s approach.
We pair professional “Teaching Artists” with early childhood educators. Teaching Artists then work with teachers in their classrooms—sharing arts-integrated learning strategies, developing lesson plans, and interacting with children.
Wolf Trap Teaching Artists provide educators with the skills and confidence to:
- Use performing arts best practices to engage children in joyful, active learning
- Improve learning in areas specified by the required curriculum
- Integrate performing arts into daily routines and experiences
Classroom residencies empower early childhood educators by providing them with customized, hands-on teaching strategies that they can apply in their current and future classrooms.
Arts-integration workshops
Arts-integration professional development workshops focus on using dance, music, drama, and puppetry as teaching tools. They’re shorter than classroom residencies—usually just a matter of days or even hours—and are held nationwide. Teaching Artists provide workshop participants with arts techniques to achieve goals in specific areas, such as literacy and language development, science, math, problem-solving, classroom management, and more.
Register now for one of Wolf Trap’s arts-integration professional development workshops.
Online arts education resources
Wolf Trap Institute provides free online arts education resources—including lesson plans, videos, and more—to help teachers practice arts integration in the classroom.
Sample Resource: Wolf Trap Teaching Artist Amanda Whiteman demonstrates how to use dance elements to create and describe clouds. Watch the demonstration video and download the lesson plan.
Join our online community to access more arts education resources.