Esplanade offers programming on PD Days that provides children fun and education, as well as place to be.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
Did you know that over the course of the average school year, there are approximately 10 days in addition to winter holidays, February week and Easter break where children do not have school?
Finding alternative childcare for these 10 PD Days can be a source of stress for some families. As a working parent, I know all too well how this stress can be compounded by our pandemic reality, where unexpected illness and isolation requirements result in additional absences from work.
Our team recognizes the need for alternative childcare on PD Days, and over the past five years we have worked to develop and deliver affordable high value programming for these days when you need it the most.
The goal of offering a PD Day program is not only to relieve parents and guardians of the stress of balancing childcare and work, but also to build a program that kids enjoy and want to come back to.
We have collaborated with the Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition program (TREX) to create a full day, arts-based program. With our unique PD Day offering, children get the benefit of multiple community-based learning resources in one program.
In the morning, children explore the galleries of the Esplanade and take part in play-based projects where they can exercise their imaginations, while developing their creative thinking and problem-solving skills.
In the afternoon, we walk the kids a block away to TREX Space at the corner of 3 Street and 5 Avenue SE where they have the opportunity to see their rotating exhibitions, meeting and learning from the TREX curator, and exploring new materials.
Our arts instructor, Julie Downey-Hoglund, is passionate about children’s art programming and builds her lessons with a focus on process and sensory art experiences.
Her post-secondary education includes social work and fine art, and she has extensive experience in early childhood programming and working with children and youth of all ages and abilities. Julie has been an art instructor at the Esplanade since June, 2018, and we are lucky to have her!
For more information on our PD Day programs, please visit esplanade.ca.
Dayna Walls is the education co-ordinator at the Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre
