Early Learning Through the Arts Program

Gateway to the Arts’ Western Pennsylvania Wolf Trap program provides innovative arts-in-education experiences for children ages 3-5, their teachers and families. The objective is to encourage early childhood practitioners to integrate performing arts teaching techniques into their curriculum on a regular basis to help young children master basic skills. Drama, music and movement experiences not only support physical, cognitive and socio-emotional development, but they create active, joyful, child-centered learning environments! Gateway is proud to be one of 16 regional affiliates of the internationally acclaimed Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, and the only site in Pennsylvania. Western Pennsylvania Wolf Trap includes summer professional development for early childhood educators and a seven-week classroom residency. Call for cost information.

Western Pennsylvania Wolf Trap program includes:

• Professional Development Training — Attend the Wolf Trap Professional Development Institute: Integrating the Arts into the Early Childhood Curriculum.

• Preparation & Planning — Select one or two early childhood practitioners to partner with the artist for classroom residencies and to discuss workshop scheduling, curriculum and objectives in a two-hour orientation and planning meeting
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• Classroom Residencies — Participating teachers partner with the teaching artists to develop, refine and assess experiences designed to foster children’s cognitive,socio-emotional, physical and creative development, drawing on the artist’s performing arts specialty and on the educators’ early childhood knowledge and experience. Sites located within Allegheny County and no farther than 25 miles from downtown Pittsburgh may choose a seven-week/14-day residency. One-week/five-day residencies are available for more distant locations.

• Parent Engagement Session — An optional session, led by the artist, this workshop just for parents can demonstrate how to encourage creative learning at home or it can be a “Show What We Know!” culminating event for the children to share what they’ve learned with their parents and caregivers.

• Supplementary Wolf Trap Classroom Materials — Each participating classroom receives a Wolf Trap Early Learning Through the Arts book of songs, stories and movement activities, a music CD and an additional gift (picture book, musical instrument, etc.) Each child receives a “Take-home” booklet, which recaps the residency activities and provides prompts for arts interaction at home.

To receive information on how to enliven learning in your early childhood classroom with a Wolf Trap residency, please contact Carol Wolfe at 412.362.6982 or e-mail.

The Wolf Trap Institute is a program of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, in partnership with Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts located outside Washington, DC in Vienna, VA.

Gateway to the Arts is approved by the PA Department of Education as an Act 48 provider and approved by the PA Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) as a PQAS Special Disciplinary Provider.