The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Early Learning Team will be hosting a Playful Learning Institute pilot initiative beginning in the spring of 2023 and continuing through the 2023-24 school year. The Institute will be designed for district and school administrators, Preschool through 3rd grade (PK-3) inclusive classroom educators, and Out-of-School Time program staff and administrators. Participants will gain tools and strategies needed to intentionally design and embed playful learning across the course of the day. The playful learning will support deep dives into content, create equitable access to learning for all children, and create many varied opportunities for authentic assessment, particularly during instructional blocks across the content areas.
The Institute will include professional development for approximately five district teams that include district and school administrators as well as two (2) educators each in PK-3. Professional development is planned to take place between April and June 2023 with exact dates to be determined and will result in coordinated grade level action plans for each team to implement in the 2023-24 school year.