New Wolf Trap Affiliate to Answer Demand for Greater Learning Opportunities in
Area Early Childhood Classrooms;
Programs to Begin Virtually and Will Start In-Person Once Schools are Ready
Indianapolis, IN (September 24, 2020) – Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts announced today that it will bring its arts-based teaching and learning programs to early childhood classrooms in Indianapolis and the surrounding areas beginning this fall through a new partnership with Arts for Learning Indiana.
The partnership will create Central Indiana Wolf Trap, Wolf Trap’s newest addition to a growing network of 22 affiliates across the United States and Singapore that serve nearly 100,000 children, parents and educators annually. Wolf Trap’s 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.
Arts for Learning Indiana, a leading provider of arts education programs and services in the state, will operate Central Indiana Wolf Trap through its Indianapolis headquarters. The new affiliate replicates Wolf Trap Institute’s proven model of arts-integrated learning, which pairs active, arts-based learning experiences for children, ages three months through first grade, with powerful, effective professional development for early childhood educators.
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 programs that align with their curriculum objectives. During these residencies Teaching Artists work in the classroom alongside the teacher to engage students in arts-based learning experiences, slowly allowing the teacher to lead the lesson using these strategies.
Central Indiana Wolf Trap will direct its programs to early childhood educators and children in Pre-school and kindergarten currently enrolled in Indianapolis area schools, childcare centers, and other learning environments. Programs will introduce arts-based lessons that illustrate key literacy concepts, 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.
“Arts for Learning Indiana has a long history of providing high quality arts education experiences for students and educators in communities throughout the Midwest,” said Akua Kouyate-Tate, Vice President of Education at Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. “As they looked for ways to expand their impact in the community, Arts for Learning Indiana turned to Wolf Trap, whose customized approach to delivering high-quality arts education aligned with their goal to provide effective strategies to support early education partners, students and their families in their region. We are so proud to partner with our friends at Arts for Learning Indiana and look forward to helping them extend their mission further throughout Central Indiana.”
The first task for Central Indiana Wolf Trap will be to connect with early childhood administrators to adopt this new program to their schools’ distance learning needs. The program will launch with a series of virtual Family Involvement Workshops. Simultaneously, the Central Indiana affiliate plans to build out its local network of teaching artists, who will deliver in-person instruction, including Wolf Trap’s Classroom Residency Program, once schools are able to fully re-open.
“Virtual learning has created a unique opportunity for us to connect with the community, to continue delivering thoughtful and engaging content and create meaningful professional development opportunities for early childhood educators,” said Ploi Pagdalian, Senior Director of Programs for Arts for Learning Indiana. “Our affiliation with Wolf Trap allows us to deepen our long-time partnership with local early childhood providers such as Family Development Services Head Start and Day Early Learning Indiana and make a meaningful difference in early education in Central Indiana.”
The Central Indiana affiliate will have access to a full catalog of Wolf Trap lesson plans, tutorials, research and performance-based educational activities via Wolf Trap’s proprietary website at education.wolftrap.org.
Through its national program and affiliates, Wolf Trap Institute has engaged young children, families, educators and early childhood communities in 28 states and Washington, D.C., as well as Singapore, South Korea and India,. Currently, Institute Affiliates are based in Indianapolis, IN; Denver, CO; Scottsdale, AZ; Wilmington, DE; West Memphis, AR; Detroit, MI; Atlanta, GA; Richmond, VA; St. Louis, MO; Wichita, KS; New Orleans, LA; Nashville, TN; Baltimore, MD; Newark, NJ; New York, NY; San Antonio, TX; Miami, FL; Las Vegas, NV.; Chattanooga, TN, Pittsburgh, PA; Singapore; and Wolf Trap’s national program, at its Vienna, VA headquarters serving the Washington DC metro area, along with national and international partnerships beyond the reach of the affiliate network.
For more information about Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, visit www.wolftrap.org/education.
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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.
Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts is operated through Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. The Institute helps create a future with more successful learners and more effective educators by integrating art forms such as music, dance, and drama to engage children in active, multisensory learning. Wolf Trap Institute serves nearly 100,000 people annually through its network of affiliate organizations and partners. These organizations provide unique learning experiences for young children, as well as customized, hands-on professional development for early childhood educators.
Since 1961, Arts for Learning Indiana has been the premier provider of arts education programs for youth across Indiana. Their programs empower youth and expand their learning through creative arts experiences . Arts for Learning employs more than 60 teaching artists who provide performances, workshops, and residencies to schools, libraries, parks and community organizations to reach nearly 40,000 youth every year.