Little Artists Preschool (LAP) is a new program of the Multnomah Arts Center (MAC), a Portland Parks and Recreation program, located in the heart of Multnomah Village in Southwest Portland. The Little Artists Preschool was introduced as MAC’s educational preschool in the Fall of 2012. LAP provides arts-focused early childhood education for ages 2, 3 and 4. For almost 40 years, MAC has been providing high quality arts instruction and participation in the performing and visual arts to all interested persons, regardless of age, race, religion, ethnic origin, financial means or level ability.
MAC’s Executive Director, Youth Arts Director, and LAP Instructors collaborated to create a curriculum that encompasses visual arts, music, dance and theatre. These four forms will act as conduits for exploration. LAP instructors will introduce independent artistic forms as well as bring various forms together into a unified experience. An Arts-based Preschool exclusive to Multnomah Arts Center.
Little Artists Preschool is a safe place for your child to learn, create and play. In addition to the physical space functioning as a working arts studio, instructors act as role models and lead by example to teach students the importance of art in our lives. They practice simple artistic concepts that foster and provoke creative expression and discovery.
Enrolling your child in LAP means placing him or her in a nurturing arts community that will serve throughout his or her life. Through its program offerings and affiliations with professional arts guilds, MAC provides a lifetime of learning opportunities, connections with community and culture, and professional artist development.
PHILOSOPHY
Little Artists Preschool’s teaching philosophy is children learn through creative play. Little Artists Preschool uses a creative, arts-based teaching structure to bring out a child’s natural interest in learning. The arts allow children to think creatively, to build their own ideas, to solve problems in more than one way, and to try new things. Rather than follow directions to construct prescribed “products,” we focus on each child’s “process.” Children in our program will learn to trust their own creative impulses while being supported by professional educators with strong arts backgrounds.
In addition to academics, the learning through creative play philosophy helps children build a strong social foundation for their future by promoting increased problem solving skills. Coupled with an associated curriculum, teachers place a strong emphasis on indirect instruction, which opens up young minds to independent thinking and creativity. Instructors foster imagination and keep children engaged using a variety of stimuli, with each of the five senses carefully considered in lesson planning. With our smaller ratios, teachers are able to accommodate multiple styles of learning; each child is allowed to learn, create and discover at his or her own pace. We strongly believe that arts education is fundamental to the development of a healthy, happy and engaged mind.
STARTING IN OCTOBER
We’ll start the year off by exploring our core areas: Language and Literacy, Mathematical Thinking, the Arts, and Personal, Social, and Physical Development through adventures with Dr. Seuss! Artists will be immersed in a world of color, fantastic characters, and creative storytelling as we acquire and develop skills and vocabulary in each of these areas. As always we will use dance, music, visual arts, and theatre to help us meet benchmarks in these core target areas. Let’s Seuss it Up!
Little Artists Preschool 2012 – 2013
Classes will begin October 1, 2012. Children must be 2, 3 or 4 and potty trained by September 1st, 2012. Children must be the appropriate age for each preschool class. Multnomah Arts Center will not make any age exceptions for
the Little Artists Preschool program.
Registration Process:
Space is still available. Registration packets are available here.
A one-time $40 non-refundable registration fee is required at the time of registration. First-come, first-served. Contact Multnomah Arts Center Director Michael Walsh at 503-823-2284 or Michael.Walsh@PortlandOregon.gov for more information. Submit applications with fee to: Multnomah Arts Center, Attn: Little Artists Preschool, 7688 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland, OR, 97219. All applicants will be contacted within 5 business days after receipt of packets.
