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Process-Based Art & Early Childhood Professional Development
Help Your Teachers Say Yes to Creative, Playful Process Art
Your teachers want to do more art, but they’re stuck in perfection mode, worried about mess, or don’t know where to start. My hands-on process art workshops for preschool teacher professional development help teams embrace process over product and make creativity feel accessible and joyful again.
Hi, I’m Rachelle Doorley, founder of TinkerLab. I hold an Ed.M. in Arts Education from Harvard, have written three bestselling books on early childhood art, and have led professional development for preschools, school districts, and universities across California and beyond, including Stanford, LAUSD, and Bing Nursery School.
If you are looking for inspiring preschool teacher professional development that delivers immediate classroom results, our specialized ECE art workshops bridge the gap between creative play and early childhood standards.
"I love the ideas I get to take back to my classroom. Best training we have had!"
Stephanie C.
Pre-K Teacher
"This was a great reminder to allow learners to express their emotions through art. We are all different, and our art is a representation of that!"
Elena K.
Pre-K Teacher
"Thank you! It was truly amazing! I feel I have never left a P.D. feeling this ready and excited to try art with my kids!"
Isabel L.
TK Teacher
Featured Collaborations:
Credentials
- Rachelle Doorley, art education consultant, has been teaching art for 25+ years
- Ed.M. in Arts Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and B.A. in Theater Design from UCLA
- Partnerships/clients include: Cupertino Union School District, Lindsay Unified School District, Los Angeles Unified School District, Paramount Unified School District, Google Children’s Center, Stanford University, Bing Nursery School, Monterey Public Library, Los Altos Art Docents
- Expertise in early childhood and elementary arts education
Teaching Philosophy & Standards Alignment
I believe the best art education happens when kids think like real artists: They take creative risks, experiment with materials, and discover their own solutions. My workshops help teachers meet state arts standards through an open-ended, developmentally appropriate approach that builds confident, creative thinkers.
How This Supports Standards:
- Creating: Students explore diverse materials without predetermined outcomes, learning to plan, invent, and problem-solve.
- Presenting: Children learn to share their artistic process and discoveries, directly building early communication and language skills.
- Responding: Creative risk-taking teaches children how to evaluate challenges, navigate mistakes, and think critically.
- Connecting: Open-ended art experiences connect organically to cross-curricular learning, including early literacy, STEM concepts, and social-emotional development.
Art education isn’t just fun; it’s also how we build resilient learners who aren’t afraid to tackle complex challenges. This framework reduces teacher prep fatigue and burnout by replacing rigid, cookie-cutter crafts with high-engagement, child-led art.
Meets art standards
Principal-recommended
Boosts student engagement
In-person or at Your Location
California-based in the Bay Area. Serving schools across the United States and around the world.
The TinkerLab studio is located in Palo Alto, CA, about 45 minutes south of San Francisco. We’re close to Menlo Park, Los Altos, Redwood City, San Mateo, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Marin County, and Santa Cruz. Our creative space can accommodate up to ten people. However, most of our clients enjoy the luxury of having us come to them! We’ll set up an on-site studio workshop at your school, library, or workplace.Â
Our sessions prioritize:
- Hands-on making and experimenting
- Learning through play and discovery
- Building teacher confidence with art
- Meeting standards without losing the joy!
Flexible Professional Development for Early Childhood Educators
Tailored, standards-aligned art workshops designed to fit your school’s unique schedule. Available in-person and virtually.
The following are some of the topics we’re eager to explore. Our most-requested workshop is Process Art for Preschool and TK Teachers. We can also tailor the topic to your group’s interests.
Process Art for Preschool and TK Teachers
Challenging perfectionism/embracing mistakes
Drawing games to ignite imagination
Loose parts and found materials
Classroom sketchbooks
Curriculum development for preschool and pre-K art programs
Handmade books that bridge literacy and the arts
Choose a Workshop Session
Sessions include a slide presentation and hands-on practice. We can also create take-home activity guides, a letter that families can read that explains the learning approach, and lesson plans.
Art Basics
1 hour | Staff Meeting
$1,250+
Up to 25 participants ($30 for each additional participant). Supplies included.
Art Exploration
2 hours | Early Release
$2,250+
Up to 25 participants ($55 for each additional participant). Supplies included.
Art Immersion
3 hours | Half Day
$3,500+
Up to 25 participants ($80 for each additional participant). Supplies included.
Art Intensive
5 hours | Full Day
$5,500+
Up to 25 participants ($110 for each additional participant). Supplies included.
Pricing covers the greater Bay Area. Travel, lodging, and travel days quoted separately for locations beyond 60 miles. For larger groups, I provide a curated supply list that your school orders, so the materials stay in your classrooms. Groups over 35 may include a co-facilitator, quoted with your session.
Add-ons
Optional add-ons: Multi-session series, follow-up coaching, and district-wide programs.
TinkerLab Books ($20, signed or unsigned) can be added on to any workshop for an additional fee. If ordering a large quantity, bulk rates may apply.
- TinkerLab: A Hands-on Guide for Little Inventors
- TinkerLab Art Starts: 52 Projects for Open-ended Exploration
The Kids Art Studio, our early childhood arts education curriculum, can be added to any workshop. This starts at $89 per teacher, per year, and we offer discounted rates for large-scale orders.
Many schools enjoy the workshop perk of gaining these add-ons with the extra discounts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Process art professional development helps teachers shift the focus of art from a focus on teacher-led finished products to child-led creative experiences. In a hands-on workshop, teachers explore open-ended materials and then leave with strategies and confidence to bring process art into their classrooms.
My workshops are designed for early childhood educators, preschool, TK, and elementary teachers, as well as early childhood directors, librarians, and parent groups. Teachers don’t need any art background. Many of the most rewarding sessions are with teachers who say they “aren’t artistic.”
Each session includes a short slide presentation, plenty of hands-on making, and activity guides. We can also share a letter that families can read explaining the process art approach. Most of the time, teachers are making art and learning skills they can implement in their classrooms right away. The feedback on our approach is that this is some of the best PD teachers have ever experienced.
Yes. I’m based in the Bay Area and lead preschool and elementary art professional development workshops for schools and districts across California, the United States, and beyond. Travel, lodging, and travel days are quoted separately for locations more than 60 miles away.
Yes! For larger groups, we provide a curated supply list for your school or district to order directly, ensuring the materials stay on-site for your classrooms. To maintain a high quality of instruction, groups of over 35 participants may include a co-facilitator so everyone receives personalized, hands-on support. We also offer multi-day programs and custom series for larger teams.
Yes. Process art naturally supports the four artistic processes in state arts standards: Creating, Presenting, Responding, and Connecting. Teachers leave with practical ways to meet standards without losing the joy.
Absolutely. Sessions can be tailored to your group’s goals, age levels, and schedule, from a single staff meeting session to a multi-session series with follow-up coaching. Fill out the form below, and we’ll take it from there.
Yes! We’ll send you a supply list so that you can gather materials on your own, or we can send you a package with everything you’ll need to create during our virtual workshop.
To ask a question or request a workshop, you can also email us at ⤵
support@tinkerlab.com