New Program Will Work with Local School Districts to Bring Arts-Based Learning to Early Childhood Classrooms Throughout Omaha
Omaha, NE/Vienna, VA (Sept. 21, 2023) – Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts and Omaha Performing Arts have announced a partnership that will bring Wolf Trap’s customizable arts-based teaching and learning programs to early childhood classrooms in Omaha. The partnership creates Omaha Wolf Trap, Wolf Trap’s newest addition to a growing network of 25 affiliates across the United States and Singapore.
Wolf Trap and its affiliates work collaboratively with schools to deliver vital virtual and in-person classroom residencies, professional development workshops for teachers, and family workshops that serve the unique needs of their communities. The affiliate program is operated under Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, a program of Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts based in Vienna, VA. Through Wolf Trap’s education programs, including the work of the Institute and its affiliates, Wolf Trap serves nearly 100,000 children, families, and educators each year.
Omaha Wolf Trap will deliver services in Omaha immediately through a partnership with Omaha Public Schools and will branch out to surrounding communities in successive academic years. Omaha Wolf Trap’s work in the early childhood space will complement Omaha Performing Arts’ robust suite of programming for children and young adults. Families with young children will also be able to engage with the program through family workshops in the community and classes at the Holland Center.
“At Omaha Performing Arts, an important part of our mission is to enrich the region through education and community engagement programs,” said Kathleen Lawler Hustead, Director of Education for Omaha Performing Arts. “We create original programs and partner with like-minded organizations to support this mission. Partnering with Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts allows us to expand our programming to our youngest learners and support the work of teachers in our community through professional development.”
Omaha Wolf Trap programs will be designed for children in preschool and kindergarten and their educators. Programs will introduce arts-based lessons that illustrate key curricular concepts such as literacy and social-emotional learning, incorporating song, movement, imaginative play, and musical instruments, to equip teachers with skills to infuse active learning through the arts in their instruction with every classroom of children they teach.
“Like Omaha Performing Arts, Wolf Trap believes in the value of arts for learners of all ages,” said Akua Kouyate-Tate, Vice President of Education at Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. “The key to our success has been our ability to connect with partners that create real value for their communities. Omaha Performing Arts is one such partner, and we are excited to see the pivotal role they will play in helping Omaha’s educators and young children thrive.”
Through professional teaching artists trained in the Wolf Trap model, Wolf Trap Institute delivers customized, in-class professional development to early childhood educators using proven, arts-based strategies that reach across curricula and support development in key areas like language, literacy, math, science, and social-emotional development. Teaching artists engage in multi-day residencies, during which they meet one-on-one with teachers to create custom lesson plans that align with their curriculum objectives. During these residencies teaching artists work in the classroom alongside the teacher to engage students in arts integration learning experiences, slowly allowing the teacher to lead the lesson using these strategies.
For more information about Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, visit www.wolftrap.org/education.
For more information about Omaha Performing Arts, visit o-pa.org.
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About Wolf Trap
Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts,a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, produces and presents a full range of performance and education programs in the Greater Washington area, as well as nationally. Wolf Trap features three performance venues: the outdoor Filene Center and Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods, both located at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, and The Barns at Wolf Trap, located down the road from the national park and adjacent to the Center for Education at Wolf Trap. The 7,028-seat Filene Center is operated in partnership with the National Park Service and annually showcases an extensive array of diverse artists, ranging from pop, country, folk, and blues to classical music, dance, and theatre, as well as multimedia presentations, from May through September. The Barns at Wolf Trap is operated by the Wolf Trap Foundation year-round, and during the summer months is home to the Grammy-nominated Wolf Trap Opera, one of America’s outstanding resident ensemble programs for early career opera singers. Wolf Trap’s education programs include the nationally acclaimed Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods, a diverse array of arts education classes, grants, and a nationally recognized internship program.
Omaha Performing Arts O-pa) is steward of three landmark venues – the Orpheum Theater, Holland Performing Arts Center, and Steelhouse Omaha. O-pa presents a wide spectrum of performing arts and entertainment, including Broadway, jazz, dance, comedy, family, popular entertainment, and live music. With a commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility, O-pa serves a growing audience in Omaha and the region through a broad range of education and engagement opportunities. As Nebraska’s largest arts institution, O-pa is recognized as a leader both locally and nationally.
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Media Information
Liz Nickless, Assistant Director, Education Communications & Strategy
Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts
703.255.1980, lizn@wolftrap.org
Tara McNamara, Director of Communications
Omaha Performing Arts
402.661.8442, tmcnamara@o-pa.org