Denver Art Museum: Resources for Early Childhood Educators and Preschool Teachers

Denver Art Museum (DAM) offers exhibitions, education, hands-on experiences, and more for all ages. As a long-time partner of Denver Preschool Program (DPP), DAM is committed to ensuring preschoolers and young learners connect with art and creativity, while building critical thinking and social emotional skills at an early age. DAM works closely with teachers, including preschool educators, to bring the learning benefits of the art museum into the classroom. 

“Part of being a family-friendly institution means linking arms with teachers to enhance their classroom practice and to help them and their students feel a sense of connection to the museum,” said Grace Hanover, Associate Director of Youth & Community Engagement at DAM. “We make art interactive and engaging and aim to equip teachers with the resources they need to seamlessly and flexibly use art to teach.” 

Denver Art Museum Must-Haves for Preschool Teachers

DAM has a variety of resources and opportunities for preschool teachers. 

• Creativity in Practice Summer Institute: DAM is offering a one-day professional development institute for early childhood educators on July 19, 2025. “The goal is to help early childhood educators feel more confident incorporating art and creativity into their classroom practice and to think of the museum as a part of their curriculum,” Hanover said. “Teachers explore their own creativity and then learn how they can develop that with students.” The training qualifies for 7 hours of professional development credit through Colorado Shines PDIS. Learn more about the institute and register early as space is limited. 
• Educator Night: Slated for October 28, 2025, DAM’s annual Educator Night welcomes teachers, school directors, nurses, school psychologists, librarians, and anyone who is in the education space with kids. Guests enjoy free admission to the museum, art making workshops, light snacks and drinks, music, and pop-up tours. “It’s really a fun evening for educators to feel celebrated and special,” Hanover said. “It’s also an opportunity to make connections with other colleagues and get any questions answered about field trips and other programs.” 
• Field Trips at DAM: From artmaking workshops to Creative Explorers–an introductory tour geared toward preschoolers–DAM works closely with schools and teachers to make a field trip to DAM exciting and memorable. Admission to the museum and tours are free (workshops may have a fee). DAM has a transportation budget to help qualifying schools cover transportation costs to the museum. They also have an interpretation budget to support English Language Learners (ELLs). Learn more about field trips (it’s best to inquire at least 3 weeks in advance). Ready to book your field trip? Start planning your field trip to DAM. 
• Sign up for DAM’s educator newsletter to stay updated about all of the museum’s events, programs, and opportunities. 
• Learn more about DAM’s Educator Programs. 
• Check out DPP’s blog post about DAM’s family-friendly programming geared toward preschool-aged children.
• Explore family-friendly activities and programming that DAM offers year-round. Bellco Credit Union’s support of DAM means that entrance to DAM is always free for kids 18 and under. 

“Chúng tôi biết rằng nghệ thuật và sự sáng tạo là điều cần thiết cho sự phát triển của não bộ, học tập xã hội-cảm xúc và nhiều hơn thế nữa”, Hanover cho biết. “Chương trình của chúng tôi nhằm mục đích đảm bảo rằng có thứ gì đó dành cho mọi lứa tuổi và có nhiều cơ hội để tham gia và sáng tạo nghệ thuật, không chỉ là xem nó”.