Broken Arrow Early Childhood Center Offers Dance Class For Students

Preschool kids in Broken Arrow are learning to dance thanks to a grant from the Department of Education.

The kids were excited to practice their dancing skills, learn stretches, and get all of their energy out.

Nora and Kynslee are two of the kids who are in the class, and they love to dance.

"Cause we get to do fun stuff!” said Nora.

Wednesday, they learned German and Russian folk dances.

School administrators said this class is great for Pre-schools because they don’t have separate classes for fine arts.

“We don't have art, music, and PE, and it's always on our classroom teachers to take care of those things,” said Diana Snow, the Child and Family Resource Specialist for the Creekwood Early Childhood Center. “I do some of that as a resource specialist, so when we got this opportunity, it was one more opportunity to have people come in, do some things with the kids that was unique."

Snow has seen a positive change in the kids since they started dance classes.

"We have noticed they're more self-regulated on Wednesdays because they've had that dance. They've had that rhythm and that music, and so it's really helped them,” said Snow. “They've kind of learned about personal space with each other, how to follow those directions."

Sierra Pruitt teaches the class and said she enjoys seeing the kids grow as they learn.

"With dance specifically, they're really making a lot of connections between their brain and their physical body,” said Pruitt. “And it makes their growth just exponential."

Pruitt hopes as the kids dance into the future, they will become better learners.

"When they're coming in and taking a dance class, they have better management of their emotions, of what's going on around them, and even just of their body itself,” said Pruitt. “So as long as they're coming in and they're open to learning and ready to go, like that is all I want from them."

The kids at the Creekwood Early Childhood Center do dance class every Wednesday. Administrators said they plan to continue this program next year.