Every year for President’s Day, we receive a number of requests for early childhood professional development trainings…and we are happy to oblige with developmentally appropriate arts-based strategies designed to enliven teaching, engage children and enrich the classroom.

This year, Gateway teaching artists provided in-service trainings for staff at Riverview Children’s Center in Verona and Carriage House Children’s Center in Squirrel Hill, in addition to two sessions hosted by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust in their education center and one at Smart Kids CC and Learning Center in Washington, PA hosted by The Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children.

In post-workshop evaluations of Christina Farrell’s A Story With a Mission workshop participants shared that they learned: “new ways to involve children in dramatic storytelling,” “how to incorporate more child-directed experiences,” and one participant realized “I don’t have to be trained in music to incorporate movement, chants and refrains in classroom activities.”

Rebecca Covert’s dramatic play workshop S-T-R-E-T-C-H Your Storytime, led one early childhood practitioner to report “I learned how to incorporate music, action and drama into a storybook.” Another said, “This workshop gave me the freedom to think outside the box and not always just stick to the story.” Others exclaimed, “Storytime can be an adventure!” and “Wow, you can really use a book for more than reading!!”

Joann Kielar’s Creative Visual Arts Experiences for Young Children helped one trainee to realize “how to be open to new ideas, keep an open mind and let children express them art,” and another to understand “Art is very important in the learning process.” One participant’s take-away was “You can make fun things that children will love out of just about anything!” These sentiments let us know that our work provides the quality you expect and that our children require. Because of these collaborations, we are all making a positive difference in the lives of children.

With another President’s Day wrapped up, Carol Wolfe, Gateway’s Program Manager, Professional Development and Early Learning and Regional Director, Western Pennsylvania Wolf Trap, is already scheduling trainings for Columbus Day, October 10 and would like to get the word out that there is still some availability for sessions on Monday April 25, the day after Easter. 

View our workshops listings for more information on our early childhood professional development offerings or call Carol at 412.362.6982.

Gateway to the Arts is an approved provider of Act 48 and PA Keys (PQAS) professional development and can process credit for your staff.

Photograph: Joann Kielar at Peirce Studio in the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Arts Education Center by Joanne Barotne.