The “America Competes Act,” also known as the STEM initiative for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, was signed into law in 2008.  Since then, teachers have discovered what executives, industrialists, and scientists already know: “We need STEAM, not just STEM” — Science, Technology, Engineering, ART and Math — to ensure that youth can compete in the new economy of tomorrow by combining knowledge with creativity and imagination. Our Professional Development Program shows educators how they can boost overall academic achievement by integrating the arts into “hard” school subjects to promote critical thinking and innovation, potentially raising students’ grade averages, in math and science, as well as English, history, and other subjects.

Theatre Of Hearts/Youth First offers an integrated suite of professional learning seminars, where participants engage in hands-on, practical experiences that promote the acquisition of knowledge and skills in the arts, as well as teaching strategies for effectively integrating art into standard academic curricula. Each participant receives instruction that covers theoretical approaches, technique building, and/or performance development by a professional TOHYF Artist Mentor, who will demonstrate how to use art-making to discover innovative approaches for achieving specific outcomes in the California Common Core and Visual and Performing Arts Content State Standards.