We are in the middle of the Embrace Learning summer program and such amazing art is emerging! 

The Three Little Pigs illustrated by Zoe! This project was one of many in our Summer Program through 21st Century. Programming will continue through the third week in June .

We were so happy to bring the Book Box Library Project to the Early Learning Center this month. This project is part of our Looping Literacy Together Program. The students decorate wooden crates with characters and scenes from their favorite books, then fill the crates with many books to take home as the first installment in their personal libraries. This beloved project is one of the first we have done in-person in over a year, and was made possible with funding from the City of Savannah Department of Arts and Culture.

After a successful semester delivering Mindfulness Zone @ Home Programming with the support of The City of Savannah Department of Human Resources, Bank of America, Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition, International Paper, The Downtown Neighborhood Association, Gulfstream, and scores of volunteers, we are looking forward to expanding the program to include early learners, additional schools in the Savannah Chatham County School District, and to schools in other counties in Georgia. We are very excited to launch the next phase in the coming months!
​

Our partnership with Gadsden Elementary School as they work towards STEAM Certification has been delightful! Here a student is constructing their 3D model of an ice cream parlor after making a 2D design. This collaboration has been monthly during the spring semester of the 2020/21 school year.

WIth the cooperation of community faith leaders, educators, and concerned citizens, we are collaborating to offer safe and supportive learning environments for children during school closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many thanks to RISE (Religious Institutions Supporting Education) for providing learning environments and mentors, and to SCAD for donating computers to students in need. Together, our community is making it work.

We have spent April and May creating enrichment activity kits for our students during the school closures caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Many supporters donated time, funds, and materials to make this large project possible. Kits included art and crafting materials, workbooks and worksheets, games and toys, and books in both Spanish and English. By the end of May we delivered close to 2000 kits to children throughout the city.

Students at Andrea B. Williams Elementary are busy decorating new planters for the City of Savannah's  Sustainability Department. These planters will be filled with fruit trees and available to residents of the East Side at the East Side Fruit Tree Giveaway and Cookout. This event will take place on February 22, 2020 t the W. W. Law Recreation Center.

New in 2019, The Exploration Station is a STREAM classroom designed specifically for very young children attending the Early Learning Center at the West Broad YMCA. In an open floor-plan we have created a work-space complete with large tables suitable for science or art projects, open shelving providing easy access to materials, a large carpeted space for movement and music classes, a library and reading area, easels, a science station, and a pet corner! 

Art and music workshops are currently being offered to ages 2 through 5 on a weekly basis.
The space is not only used for workshops run by guest teaching artists but also for the Center  teachers to work on larger projects, and to hold community gatherings, meetings, and family engagement events.

The Early Learning Center teachers are able to bring small groups of children to the classroom to explore the materials available. The goal is to allow children the time and space to investigate available materials  and hopefully to ask questions that inspire new interests.

​