Learning Pods

How Neighborhood North Used Play and the Arts to Support Students During the Pandemic

When Neighborhood North secured the lease for our building in March 2020, the world shut down. What could have stalled our progress instead sparked a powerful period of innovation. As a young, agile organization, supported by donors like the Grable Foundation, we leaned into what we do best: arts-integrated, play-based learning that supports the whole child.

Arts at the Center of Learning Support: That summer, we launched the Community Summer Learning Program with Trails Ministries and Big Beaver Falls School District. A teaching artist helped connect STEM and the arts, giving children creative outlets to process stress, build confidence, and stay engaged during an uncertain time.

When COVID-19 disrupted traditional schooling, we expanded this approach through our Learning Pods, intentionally designing them as arts-rich, supportive environments that nurtured both academic achievement and emotional well-being. We hired teaching artists as staff, incorporated

Learning Pods in Beaver County | Neighborhood North

hands-on making and creative practices into daily instruction, and developed a structured evaluation plan to measure student growth. The results were powerful: we served 187 students, 98% African-American or biracial, and were selected as one of 15 programs nationwide to participate in a RAND and CRPE study on sustainable learning beyond the pandemic.

Creativity in Public Spaces: During this same period, we launched the Playful Learning Initiative to bring creativity, connection, and joy into public spaces during a time of isolation. Through three public-facing art installations in Beaver Falls, we:

Offered collaborative, hands-on creativity for children, families, and local artists
Helped reduce stress and spark imagination
Strengthened social connection and community belonging
Showcased the role of the arts in supporting both learning and community well-being

Building a Local Arts-Education Ecosystem: Inspired by the community’s hunger for creative learning, we launched the Teaching Artist Initiative, supported first by the Arts Equity Reimagined Fund and later by the Heinz Endowments. This program builds a network of local teaching artists and expands access to arts-infused education throughout Beaver County.

Lasting Impact: Across Learning Pods, Reading Labs, our Afterschool Program, and 25 Creative Workshops for early childhood and OST partners, we reached more than 350 low-income children in 2020-21. The arc is clear: through creativity, connection, and hands-on expression, play and the arts helped children thrive, academically, emotionally, and socially, during one of the most challenging periods in recent history.

The arts weren’t an add-on.

They were the foundation of healing, learning, and community resilience.

Learning Pods Impact

Tutoring & Academic Support - Teachers and high school students did targeted tutoring.
STEM & Arts Integration - A teaching artist brought hands-on arts and STEM learning into the program.
Family Engagement - Parents participated to strengthen learning at home.