Young Audiences of Maryland (YA) believes that every student – even the smallest ones – should have the opportunity to imagine, create, and realize their full potential through the arts. That is why YA serves as the Maryland affiliate of the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts. Through this 16-session residency program, YA pairs trained teaching artists with classroom teachers to provide young learners with literacy and STEM skills through an arts-based lens.

This investment in developing learning opportunities for pre-K students is one that YA shares with the PNC Foundation. PNC Grow Up Great® is a $350 million, multi-year, bilingual initiative that began in 2004 to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life. To date, the program has served 4 million children. With the generous support of the PNC Foundation, YA will reach 30 Baltimore City pre-K classrooms and 600 pre-K students with Wolf Trap residencies in the 2017-2018 school year.

These residencies have consistently shown improvement in student attention span, self-regulation, and the ability to connect new information with prior knowledge. Teachers also report that through these residencies, they develop valuable skills and techniques that they utilize in their classroom long after the artist has left. 

PNC recognizes the importance of training teachers to use arts-integrated approaches that have been shown to result in better academic outcomes for young learners. In 2018, in collaboration with Baltimore City Public Schools and with the support of the PNC Foundation, YA is, in addition to the Wolf Trap residencies, providing professional development for pre-K teachers in the use of arts-integration.

“PNC recognizes the role kindergarten readiness plays in the wellbeing of local children, their families and ultimately, our economy,” said Laura Gamble, PNC regional president for Greater Maryland. “By preparing our youngest citizens for educational success, we help build a solid foundation for the future of this region.”

Together, YA and the PNC Foundation are providing engaging learning environments for pre-K students and strengthening Baltimore’s pre-K teachers so that our students’ first experiences in schools prepare them to succeed for years to come. 

Learn more about how YA is creating new learning experiences for pre-K students and their teachers through our Wolf Trap classroom residencies!

For more information about the PNC Foundation, please visit their website.