Restoration Hall Early Learning Center: School of the Arts

Colorful playground with multiple slides, tunnels, and climbing structures, set on a paved surface with trees and a fence in the background.

Where Early Childhood Education Meets Music, Theatre, Creativity, and Discovery

The Restoration Hall Early Learning Center is not a traditional childcare program. We are a School of the Arts for young learners, designed to nurture children ages 3–12 through a curriculum that blends early education, structured play, and daily exposure to music and theatre arts. Our goal is to support the whole child—academically, socially, emotionally, and creatively—during the most important developmental years of life

A Creative Approach to Early Education

Children learn best when they are actively engaged, inspired, and encouraged to explore the world around them. At Restoration Hall, we build our curriculum around creative expression and hands-on learning. Each day includes:

  • Foundational early education (literacy, numeracy, motor skills)

  • Music participation (rhythm, voice, simple instruments, movement)

  • Theatre exploration (storytelling, expression, imaginative play)

  • Social-emotional learning through creativity

  • Group activities that build confidence and communication

This approach ensures that children are not just being supervised—they are learning, discovering, growing, and building talents that may otherwise go unnoticed.

Two young girls are sitting on the grass in a park, painting watercolor pictures of a castle with trees on paper. One girl wears a pink cap and white sweater with pink flowers, the other girl wears glasses, a blue sweater, and has a pink fluffy hair accessory. Art supplies and a water bottle are nearby.

Discovering and Nurturing Talent

One of our core beliefs is that every child has artistic potential. Some children show interest in music, some in movement, some in dramatic play, and some in the magical world of storytelling. Our job is to uncover those gifts early, nurture them gently, and help children develop skills that will last a lifetime.

If a child shows interest in:

  • Singing

  • Dance

  • Rhythm

  • Acting

  • Musical instruments

  • Storytelling

—we identify it, encourage it, and give the child a path to explore that passion further.

Structured Learning, Not “All Play”

While children absolutely have fun at Restoration Hall, we emphasize meaningful learning over passive play. The program is structured, intentional, and designed to meet early learning developmental milestones.

Children are:

  • Learning through the arts

  • Practicing cognitive skills

  • Strengthening early literacy

  • Engaging in purposeful movement

  • Working together in groups

  • Developing life skills through creativity

The arts enhance attention, discipline, and routine—while also keeping children excited about learning.

A Safe, Supportive, and Enriching Environment

Restoration Hall provides a nurturing environment where children feel:

  • Included

  • Supported

  • Safe

  • Encouraged to be themselves

Children thrive when they feel seen and heard, and our arts-infused approach helps bring out each child’s unique personality and strengths.

A young girl with long blonde hair, dressed in overalls and a T-shirt, stands on stage singing into a microphone while an audience watches.
A young girl in a cream-colored dress with puffed sleeves and a patterned bodice is holding a microphone on stage, singing or speaking with her eyes closed. There is another girl in a yellow dress smiling and looking at her, and part of a third person is visible on the left side of the image. The background is dark, and stage lights illuminate the scene.
A colorful preschool classroom with small tables and chairs, a rainbow-colored carpet, and educational posters on the walls, including an alphabet display.
Three young people performing on stage, two singing into microphones and one playing guitar, under purple lighting.
A young boy sitting cross-legged on a carpeted floor, wearing headphones, playing a small keyboard connected to a laptop displaying music software, in a room with musical equipment.

Music & Theatre as Core Curriculum Components

At Restoration Hall, music and theatre are not occasional activities—they are part of the structured daily curriculum. Children engage in:

  • Singing and vocal play

  • Rhythm and percussion lessons

  • Movement and creative dance

  • Dramatic play and character imagination

  • Storytelling and performance circles

  • Beginner introductions to stage presence and self-expression

These activities are led by trained staff and supported by The Celeste Theatre, our dedicated performance and creative arts space.

Through this approach, children develop:

  • Confidence

  • Creativity

  • Communication skills

  • Emotional regulation

  • Teamwork

  • Problem-solving

  • Early artistic talent

Whether a child is musically inclined or simply curious, our program creates opportunities for every student to shine.

Culinary Training & Community Nutrition Program,

“Restoration Hall is also developing an outdoor organic vegetable and herb garden, accompanied by a four-season greenhouse. This space will support hands-on learning for our Early Learning Center, after-school program, and youth ages Pre-K through 18. The garden will serve as a living classroom for nutrition education, science learning, leadership development, environmental awareness, and farm-to-table culinary training.”

“The garden and greenhouse will allow youth to plant, grow, harvest, and prepare fresh produce, reinforcing lessons in responsibility, teamwork, healthy eating, sustainability, and self-sufficiency. Teens participating in workforce development will receive training in agricultural skills, horticulture, greenhouse operation, and culinary farm-to-table preparation.”

Youth Entrepreneurship & Financial Literacy Through Gardening

In addition to operating their own student-led community vegetable stand, youth participating in Restoration Hall’s garden and greenhouse program will have the opportunity to become certified youth growers and sell their produce at the local farmers market. Through this hands-on experience, children and teens learn not only how to plant, nurture, and harvest organic vegetables and herbs, but also how to participate in the local economy as real producers.

After completing safety, growing, and handling requirements aligned with local agricultural guidelines, students will be recognized as certified youth vegetable farmers, allowing them to bring Restoration Hall-grown produce to the farmers market. There, they will practice customer service, marketing, pricing strategies, supply management, and professional communication skills in a real business environment. This immersive, entrepreneurial experience teaches financial literacy, business ownership principles, teamwork, and community leadership.

All proceeds earned from the community stand and farmers market sales will be reinvested into educational field trips to working farms, greenhouses, orchards, and agricultural training centers. These visits provide deeper exposure to modern agriculture, sustainability, food systems, and the importance of healthy eating, helping to reinforce the seed-to-sale cycle learned throughout the year.

This program creates a powerful pathway for youth from Pre-K to age 18 to develop practical agriculture skills, entrepreneurship experience, and economic mobility while building confidence, responsibility, and community pride.

Belmont County faces significant challenges related to food insecurity, limited access to fresh produce, high poverty rates, and a lack of hands-on youth development and workforce training programs. Many families, veterans, and youth lack access to affordable healthy meals, practical cooking skills, or routes into quality employment. At the same time, the region struggles to retain young people and provide clear, constructive pathways toward stable adulthood.

There is currently no facility in our region offering an integrated culinary training program that combines nutrition education, hands-on cooking, agriculture learning, youth leadership, and economic mobility. A teaching kitchen, coupled with a youth-run garden and greenhouse program, fills a critical gap by empowering youth with real-life skills, creating healthier families, supporting positive youth development, and preparing participants for stable employment in regional foodservice, hospitality, agriculture, and culinary industries.

Restoration Hall’s Culinary Training & Community Nutrition Program will provide life-changing opportunities for youth Pre-K–18, veterans transitioning out of homelessness, and families striving to build a healthier future.