Launched in the 2023-24 school year, Washington State Wolf Trap programing includes multi-week classroom residencies in preschool classrooms and professional development workshops for early childhood educators.

Each performing arts discipline aligns with skills and understanding that children need.

• Music builds memory and fluency with language and movement.
• Dance improves movement abilities and control.
• Theatre expands imagination and communication.
• Puppetry encourages social interactions and self-confidence.
• Storytelling fosters emerging literacy that prepare students for reading.

Early Learning Residencies

A Wolf Trap early learning residency is a classroom-embedded professional learning experience for preschool educators. Residencies bring engaging arts activities to the classroom that strengthen social, emotional, and academic growth in young children.

During a residency, a Wolf Trap Teaching Artist partners with a classroom educator to design performing arts strategies that meet the instructional goals of the educator and the classroom curriculum targeting literacy and social emotional learning needs. Educators learn effective ways to engage students in active learning so that performing arts (music, dance, theatre, puppetry, or storytelling) remain a strong part of their lessons after the residency ends.

Residencies take place over a few months, which include observation, collaborative planning meetings, and in-class sessions with the teaching artist.

Launched in the 2023-24 school year, Washington State Wolf Trap partners with early learning teams at our state’s Educational Service Districts (ESDs). Starting in ESD 123, the program will expand to surrounding communities in eastern and central Washington in the coming years. This ESD-focused approach helps us build strong partnerships, meet the needs of service districts, and highlight regional teaching artist talent. To ensure our teaching artists are well-connected to the communities they serve, we recruit artists based on the location and service area of the targeted ESD.

Washington State Wolf Trap Teaching Artists

Our teaching artists have been trained by a Master Teaching Artist from the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts.

ESD 101

ESD 123

Join the ArtsWA email list to stay tuned for our next recruitment!

Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts is a program of Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts.

Want To Learn More?

For more information contact Alexis Sarah, Washington State Wolf Trap Affiliate Director, at wolftrap@arts.wa.gov or 360.228.6359.