COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

In Early Bridges, preschool children transform from listeners to storytellers, right in their own classrooms. Professional Teaching Artists partner with preschool teachers to deliver multiple sessions that include interactive storytelling, songs, chants, hands-on activities, puppets and a lot of unpredictable fun! Early Bridges combines the philosophies of the Children’s Theatre Company’s nationally acclaimed Neighborhood Bridges program with best practices in early childhood, according to national and state standards.

The Early Bridges Teaching Artists collaborate closely with the classroom teachers to link the program to set classroom curriculum and goals, and together explore a shared philosophy of the importance of play and creativity that lives on in the classroom after the Early Bridges sessions conclude.

In Early Bridges, we believe that active, playful and participatory storytelling contributes to children's language and literacy development, a belief that was confirmed by the Center for Early Education and Development at the University of Minnesota.