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LKD partners have special expertise in the pre-kindergarten populations the developmental needs of children ages 3-6. Early childhood education teachers, parents, and the children themselves are often more likely to integrate movement into all aspects of learning in order to develop the whole child. Luna Kids Dance works with early childhood educators to create movement curriculum that expands children's imaginations, flexibility and natural ability to integrate learning. Creative Dance relates to early literacy, supports the importance of play to development and enhances relationship skills. Parent/Child ClassesIn addition to our model studio classes for 3-4 year olds, LKD also provides Parent/Child Classes. These classes provide parents and their children opportunities to learn about themselves and one another through movement play. Our parent/child classes emphasize relationship-enhancing physical activities, dialogue regarding the importance of movement for creative experiences and alternative ways to observe and interpret children's movement play.
Outreach and AssessmentIn 2001-02, funds from the TRIO foundation allowed us to provide outreach and assessment services to Alameda County early childhood institutions in order to affect dance teaching and learning at the infrastructure level. Luna Kids Dance provided introductory staff inservice workshops and consultation to: St. Vincent's Day Home, Alice Street Learning Center and Chabot Children's Centers. These centers serve approximately 500 low-income children in their high-quality, emergent curriculum programs. We will continue our work with all three of these organizations in 2002-03. LKD will place a teacher at St. Vincent's Day Home and the three centers affiliated with Alice Street Learning Center and provide teacher inservice, parent/child classes and consultation regarding curricula planning, implementation and integration, and assessment. LKD is working with Chabot Children's Center staff to provide professional development and coaching so that weekly dance classes can be offered by an in-house faculty member. All centers will be developing comprehensive, sustainable dance programs at their sites. As part of the 2001-02 project, LKD enjoyed developing favorable relationships with ECE Departments at Merritt College, Oakland; Las Positas College, Livermore; and Chabot College, Hayward. We guest taught curriculum classes and met with program directors to strategize further integration of dance into the teacher certification classes at these colleges. MPACT (Moving Parents and Children Together)Our MPACT project brings our parent/child dance classes to at-risk families in Alameda County's Dependency System. Funded by Alameda County Commission for Childrenand Families Every Child Counts Initiative, we began this collaboration project in August. MPACT is being implemented witht he cooperation of the following social service workers and agencies: 1) Mandela house, a residential treatment program for mothers and their children; 2) Parental Stress, a family support agency; and 3) Alameda County social service workers. This project will allow families, who are at various phases of the reunification process, opportuntites to engage in relationship-enhancing movement activities as part of their parent education.
Luna Kids Dance | 2138 Cedar Street | Berkeley, CA 94709 | 510.644.3629 All images and information on this site are copyrighted. Do not duplicate or copy any images or information on this website.
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