DEL Dance for Early Childhood (Ages 2-6)
On-Demand
Registration Open Year-Round
Asynchronous
DEL’s Dance for Early Childhood Curriculum encourages learning through play, providing a stimulating, multi-sensory, and nurturing community for diverse young learners to discover their innate movement capacity.
Course Content Created By: Deborah Damast, Dawn DiPasquale, Daria Fitzgerald, and Erin Lally
On-Demand
Registration Open Year-Round
DEL Dance for Early Childhood (Ages 2-6)
Asynchronous (online)
1 year of access to all course materials
Ages
2-6
Time to Complete
~18 Hours
Modules
6
Prerequisites
None
Quick Links:
Course Content
DEL’s Dance for Early Childhood Curriculum encourages learning through play, providing a stimulating, multi-sensory, and nurturing community for diverse young learners to discover their innate movement capacity.
In this 6-week asynchronous course, participants will learn to create developmentally appropriate dance lessons for children ages 2-6.
This course will cover the following topics: applied Laban Movement Analysis and guided exploration, dance-making, interdisciplinary lesson themes, dances from around the world, and early childhood techniques and strategies.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
- Understand components of curriculum design, including alignment of learning objectives with content, standards, and assessments, following the DEL Model of curriculum design
- Develop scaffolded, age-appropriate, and standards-based dance-learning activities and skills that draw connections to dance artistry, theme-based learning, and arts integration
- Effectively integrate the elements of dance and skills in lesson planning and curriculum design
- Collaborate with peers in lesson planning and curriculum design following the DEL Model
Enroll Today
$195
(+$25 processing fee)
Course Dates: Anytime within 1 Year!
This course is offered as Independent Study to learn at your own pace, allowing you to dedicate as much or as little time to the material as you choose. No set deadlines. Access to course materials for one year. Best suited for those who prefer to study independently and autonomously.
Discounts
- NYCDOE dance specialists get 50% off every DEL course.
- NYCDOE common branch teachers get 10% off every DEL course.
- NYCDOE Arnhold New Teachers get DEL courses free for their first and second year teaching in the DOE.
Email [email protected] for more information
Scholarships
Scholarships are available through 92NY.
Learn more about general 92NY scholarship information and applications.
What's Inside Our Dance for Early Childhood (Ages 2-6) Course:
6 Modules of Learning:
In this Module, students will examine DEL’s approach to teaching and learning for early childhood using the DEL Dance Framework and Guided Exploration to spark creative choice-making and movement invention. Participants will understand the DEL Movement Sentence as a way to sequence dance-making for young children.
In Module 2, you’ll learn that the warm-up is how we prepare for dance. It prepares our bodies so that we can move safely – stretching our muscles, breathing, hearts pumping. It helps us to get focused on transitioning to a dance activity and connecting with our bodies.
In Module 3, you will explore the DEL Lesson Plan format and its application to early childhood. We use the DEL Lesson Plan format when planning classes for children as young as 2 years. While the components of the lesson plan may stay the same, it is important to be mindful that the content and the pedagogy used to teach it will vary greatly at each age (i.e. a lesson for children that just turned 2 will look different from a lesson for 3 year olds).
In Module 4, we will explore a variety of dance styles, themes, and stories. It is important that children both see themselves reflected in the curriculum and be exposed to new ideas.
In Module 5, we will share tips, tricks, and tools for teaching early childhood dance.
In Module 6, we will apply all our learning by creating an early childhood dance unit outline as well as two full lesson plans.
DEL's Online Learning Platform
DEL uses a custom-made learning portal called Learndash. When you enroll, you’ll be given access to your own personal account with DEL. On your DEL Member Dashboard, you’ll find an orientation to get comfortable using our Learndash system, access to DEL Basic resources, and some FAQs.
You’ll see any DEL courses you’re enrolled in and when you click into each course, you can navigate to the lessons and Modules within.
All participants who enroll in a DEL course receive access to our DEL Basics.
This includes:
- Key charts and handouts in English and Spanish, like the DEL Model graphic and DEL Mottos
- DEL Dance Framework charts that can be downloaded and printed for use in the dance classroom
- Information and charts on the DEL Movement Sentence
- Resources on the DEL Lesson Plan format
Every asynchronous DEL course moves beyond a lecture-style format, engaging participants in multi-modal learning, where lessons ask you to read, reflect, dance, watch, or listen.
See some examples of how lessons break up modes of learning:
Those who opt for Facilitated Study will receive feedback and insights from DEL facilitators and their peers. All Facilitated Study participants post assignments throughout the course and are expected to respond and discuss posts by their peers as well.
Meet Your Instructors
Deborah Damast
Deborah Damast (BFA Dance, SUNY Purchase, MA Dance Education, NYU, DEL Certificate) is Associate Professor and Program Director of Dance Education at NYU Steinhardt where in addition to teaching, she is Artistic Director of concerts, Kaleidoscope Dancers, and the Uganda study abroad program. Deborah is the Past-President of the New York...
Dawn DiPasquale
Dawn DiPasquale (MA Dance Education, NYU) is a former Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance and Musical Theater at Wichita State University, teaching modern, musical theater and tap dance. She is a PreK-5 Creative Dance Teaching Artist in NYC public schools for 92NY School Engagement in the Arts and NY City...
Daria Fitzgerald
Daria Fitzgerald (M.A., Dance Education, New York University, Professional Dance Teacher Certification, New York State) is the Associate Director of Early Childhood Dance at Harkness Dance Center, 92NY. In this role, Daria leads Harkness Dance Center’s initiative to grow early childhood dance programs across the organization and beyond, teaches early...
Erin Lally
Erin Lally (BFA, MA) serves as the Co-Executive Director of the Harkness Dance Center and Director of the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) at 92NY. A dedicated dance educator, leader, and community builder, Erin has spent over two decades sharing her passion for dance with children, educators, and families across public...