October 15, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Arts for Learning Media Contact: Carolina Candelaria, 305.576.1212 or [email protected]
Wolf Trap Foundation Contact: Michelle Pendoley, 703.255.1917 or [email protected]
Arts for Learning/Miami and Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts Bring Critical STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Education to South Florida’s Youngest Learners Through Groundbreaking New Program
Miami, FL – Arts for Learning/Miami announces the implementation of a new program to bring critical STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education to pre-K and Kindergarten classrooms in South Florida through arts-integrated teaching methods. The program represents a component of Arts for Learning’s partnership with the national Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts.
Arts for Learning is one of 17 sites across the U.S. partnering with the Wolf Trap Institute, a program of the nonprofit Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, which is headquartered outside of Washington, D.C. Organizations across the country partner with the Institute to replicate its rigorous professional development training program that enables performing artists to become Wolf Trap Teaching Artists. These professional actors, dancers, storytellers, and musicians work side by side with early childhood educators to design effective ways to teach young learners critical cognitive and developmental skills, which utilize performing arts techniques and strategies. This teaching approach aligns with state and national education curricular standards.
Ms. Shakina Church, Kindergarten teacher at Charles Drew K-8, who participated in the pilot program in Miami in spring 2014, notes “I really enjoyed participating. The Teaching Artists were very committed and delivered a very high-quality program. They provided me with a different way to look at instruction, and ways that I can incorporate the arts into my teaching. My students responded very well to the lessons; they caught on quickly and were able to grasp math concepts easily.”
This fall, Arts for Learning’s South Florida Wolf Trap Early STEM/Arts programs will be delivered between October and December in 12 classrooms at the following schools and early learning centers: Bent Tree Elementary School in Kendall, and Merry Poppins Day Care Center, Mount Olivette Child Care Center, and A Mother’s Care Learning Center in Liberty City.
“Education through the arts has been a priority for Wolf Trap since our founding more than 40 years ago,” said Arvind Manocha, President and CEO of Wolf Trap Foundation. “We are proud to partner with Arts for Learning/Miami to extend the reach of Wolf Trap’s Teaching Artists with educators across the country and to help children build the strong STEM skills and competencies they need for future success.”
Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts was established in 1981 under a grant from the Office of Head Start under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Each year, the Institute brings arts education programs to more than 55,000 children, parents, caregivers, and educators across the country–many who live in disadvantaged communities. The Institute’s Early Childhood STEM Learning Through the Arts (Early STEM/Arts) initiative represents its newest program.
Wolf Trap Institute received a research grant in 2010 from the U.S. Department of Education’s Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination Program to develop Early STEM/Arts. The grant also supports the training of Wolf Trap’s 17 affiliate partners that are now implementing the innovative program nationwide. Recent findings by American Institutes for Research regarding Early STEM/Arts implementation indicate that the program imparts six important features of highly effective professional development for teachers.
In addition to providing direct services to children and professional learning for teachers through its STEM/Arts program, the Wolf Trap Institute offers technical assistance, training and support to teachers across the U.S. and to the broader education community through webinars, online resources, presentations at professional development conferences, and more. For additional information, please visit wolftrap.org/STEM.
About Arts for Learning/Miami
Arts for Learning/Miami (A4L) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing teaching and learning through the arts and community cultural resources. As a leading source of arts integrated programs in Miami, A4L connects the arts to other subjects to support academic achievement and child development. A4L’s comprehensive services include teacher and artist professional development, arts-integrated instruction, student studio programs, community art programs, student internships, and mentoring. A4L/Miami partners with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, and Young Audiences – A4L’s national affiliate. A4L also serves as the South Florida Wolf Trap, a regional program of Wolf Trap Institute for Early LearningTM. A4L’s services are delivered to more than 5,000 children and youth in approximately 50 schools, preschools, after-school programs and summer camps throughout Miami-Dade and Broward.
Arts for Learning’s programming is made possible by individuals like you and by support from City of Miami Beach Cultural Affairs Program, Edward S. Moore Family Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Jonathan D. Lewis Foundation, Joseph H. and Florence A. Roblee Foundation, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, The Miami Foundation, Miami Salon Group, The Children’s Trust, UBS and Young Audiences, Inc.
About Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts
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 and internationally. 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 young 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.
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