This project is a jointly run project by Early Years Wales and the Arts Council for Wales, supported by The Paul Hamlyn Foundation, and Welsh Government.
The project aimed to build on the successes that the Arts Council for Wales have had with the Lead Creative Schools programme. It was designed to explore the impact of working with creative practitioners in early years settings on the staff's perception of creativity, and enhancing the children's experiences of creativity.
Each project worked in synergy with the curriculum for the non-maintained nursery settings in Wales, and Art Wales' Creative Habits of Mind to embed creativity into everyday practice.
As outlined in the interim report, the project has already made significant positive impacts on the staff, creative practitioners and children within the settings that participated in year one.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 Creative Learning in the Early Years Evaluation Report Year 1 | 3.54 MB |
"We are delighted with the progress to date with the Creative Learning in Early Years Programme. The providers who participated in year one shared their stories in July this year at our sharing events, and in every case, the staff, children and artists found that the projects enabled them to develop their practice, and explore the huge potential for bold, risky, and engaging use of creative practice in early years settings with children. From working with tools, to exploring new connections with outdoor spaces, creating with fabric, mosaics, and through storytelling, and imaginative movement opportunities, every project demonstrated the quality of their work with inspiring stories about their staff development, or the positive impact on the children.
We would like to thank all the settings and artists that boldly took up the opportunity to be part of the year one pilot, the stories of each of your journeys were so uplifting. We look forward to welcoming a new cohort of settings into year 2, and to continuing the relationship with our year one settings in the new academic year"
-Dave Goodger, CEO Early Years Wales
The opportunity to apply to be part of year 2 of this project will open on 4th September 2023 and remain open until 4th October.
To find out more about the opportunity, please join us for our information sharing webinar on Tuesday 19th September at 6:00pm - more details to follow.
NB – to be eligible for access to the programme your setting must be not-for-profit or voluntary managed, and funded to provide early education.