Focus Area: Early Childhood

Grant Amount: $10,000

Located in Minneapolis. Established in 1879, PUC operates 4 neighborhood centers, including Pillsbury House in the Powderhorn neighborhood, which includes a childcare program (the oldest in Minneapolis) and a theater program. Pillsbury House operates in south Minneapolis only blocks from George Floyd Square. Pillsbury House believes that the arts are an important antidote to trauma for the children and families it serves. All Pillsbury House employees, including the early learning teachers and teaching artists, receive trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) training.

Grant supports Pillsbury House + Theatre Early Education Arts Integration Program, which serves children ages 16 months to 6 years. The program engages 32 children and 70 parents, caregivers, or grandparents through weekly arts classes led by five resident artists. It focuses on visual art, movement, storytelling, yoga, and music, with intergenerational events and a goal of increasing access, attachment, and agency for participants.