About Dance to Learn®
Dance to Learn® is a preschool dance curriculum and professional learning platform designed to help dance teachers deliver meaningful, developmentally appropriate dance education for young children.
At Dance to Learn®, we believe dance is far more than learning steps or memorizing choreography. Movement is one of the earliest ways children explore the world around them. Through dance, children build coordination, develop social skills, strengthen brain connections, and begin to understand themselves and others.
The Dance to Learn® Curriculum was created to support dance teachers who want their classes to be joyful, engaging, and educational while remaining developmentally appropriate for young learners. By combining research in early childhood development with creative dance education, Dance to Learn® helps educators teach with confidence, creativity, and clarity.
Through our signature Whole Child Dance Method™, teachers learn how to design dance classes that support physical development, emotional growth, cognitive learning, and artistic expression.
Dance to Learn® equips dance teachers with a clear, whole-child approach to early childhood dance education.
Through developmentally aligned curriculum, thematic learning, and sensory-rich movement experiences, we help educators teach with confidence, creativity, and purpose, so every class supports both the dancer and the developing child.
To transform how the world teaches dance to young children.
We envision dance classrooms where movement supports brain development, creativity fuels learning, and teachers feel empowered with the tools, knowledge, and community they need to help children grow.
The Whole Child Dance Method™
At the heart of the Dance to Learn® Curriculum is the Whole Child Dance Method™, a philosophy that recognizes that children learn long before they learn dance steps.
Young dancers do not simply memorize movement, they explore their world through curiosity, play, sensory experiences, and meaningful connections. When dance education aligns with how children naturally learn and develop, movement becomes more than an activity; it becomes a powerful tool for growth.
The Whole Child Dance Method™ incorporates developmentally appropriate practices, sensory-enriched learning experiences, and play-based exploration so children can discover dance concepts in ways that feel natural and exciting.
Rather than focusing only on technique, the Dance to Learn® approach supports the entire child: physically, cognitively, emotionally, and socially.
To guide this philosophy, the Dance to Learn® Curriculum is built on nine core principles.
The Dance to Learn® Curriculum is built on nine core principles that guide how teachers design lessons, structure classes, and support young dancers.
- Conceptualized-Thematic Approach: Dance concepts are taught through meaningful themes, stories, and real-world experiences so children can understand movement in ways that feel natural and engaging.
- Developmentally Appropriate Practices: Lessons are aligned with how young children grow and learn, ensuring expectations support healthy physical, cognitive, and emotional development.
- Sensory-Enriched Learning: Multi-sensory experiences—including music, movement pathways, props, and tactile exploration—strengthen brain connections and deepen understanding.
- Play-Based Learning: Purposeful games and imaginative exploration transform learning into joyful movement experiences.
- Systemized Classroom Routines: Predictable class structures support emotional regulation, confidence, and smoother transitions.
- Emotionally Engaging Experiences: Story-driven movement and imaginative play create meaningful connections between children and their learning.
- Community-Centered Learning: Group movement and collaborative activities foster connection, teamwork, and shared classroom culture.
- Creative Exploration: Students are encouraged to experiment with movement, make choices, and discover their own creative voice.
- Family Engagement: Dance learning extends beyond the studio through meaningful connections between teachers, families, and home experiences.
Dance to Learn® began as the curriculum for a mobile dance program created by Jessica Strong in 2009 called Dance Exploration.
The goal of Dance Exploration was simple but ambitious: to provide high-quality dance education rooted in meaningful learning experiences. Classes were designed around themes that reflected what children were learning in school and experiencing in their everyday lives. These themes became the foundation for connecting movement with real-world understanding.
Over time, the program expanded to include innovative educational initiatives such as Dance Me a Story™, a literacy-focused program that brought children’s literature to life through movement; AcceptDANCE™, a program designed to support bullying awareness and positive self-expression; and DanceART Expressions, an arts integration program combining dance with visual art concepts.
As the program grew, additional performing arts experiences were added, including cheerleading, yoga, and theatre. In 2019 the organization rebranded as Exploration Kids® Enrichment, reflecting its role as a comprehensive performing arts enrichment program serving schools and communities.
Throughout these changes, the core mission remained the same: providing exceptional, educationally grounded movement experiences for children.
Today, Dance to Learn® represents the evolution of that mission. By sharing the Dance to Learn® Curriculum with dance teachers, educators, and arts professionals around the world, the program can reach far more children than a single program ever could.
Our purpose is simple:
To equip teachers with research-based, time-tested tools so they can create meaningful dance experiences for the children they serve.
Through the educators who believe in the Dance to Learn® approach, the impact of this work continues to grow.
