Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning through the Arts

The Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning through the Arts, a program of the Wolf Trap Foundation, was established in 1981 under a grant from the Head State Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The goal of the Institute is to train early childhood professionals in the use of performing arts techniques, which help young children learn basic academic concepts (e.g. colors, shapes, and numbers) as well as life skills (e.g. hand washing, sharing, and problem solving).

With the assistance of the Wolf Trap Institute, teachers and parents can help their children to improve in the following areas:

• Emergent literacy
• Self-awareness and self-confidence
• Group awareness and socialization skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Ability to concentrate and remember
• Gross and fine motor control
• Awareness of individual creativity
• Motivation and enthusiasm for learning
• Conceptual and verbal skills

The collaboration between performing artist and early childhood professionals serves to:

• Enrich and motivate the teacher's professional development
• Engage young children in active, creative learning experience
• Energize efforts to bring parents and caregivers together into the classroom
• Enliven the classroom environment

Classroom Residency

A Wolf Trap classroom residency is a partnership during which an artist comes to an early childhood classroom and demonstrates for the teacher how the performing arts can be used to teach curriculum topics.

*Main Street Child Development Center won the 2006 Wolf Trap Partnership Award.

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