Play Studio for Teachers took place at the USF Preschool for Creative Learning, a laboratory school in the USF College of Education. We see play as a powerful context for children to think, create, communicate, and make meaning, supported by teachers who observe, respond, and extend their learning.
Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education
Jolyn Blank, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of South Florida. Her scholarship examines the relationship between children’s meaning-making and teachers’ pedagogical reasoning in early childhood classrooms. Through studies of play, inquiry, creative expression, and multimodal communication, she investigates how children develop and communicate ideas and how teachers recognize, interpret, and respond to children’s thinking. Her work also considers the social and policy contexts that shape educational practice.
Dr. Blank’s scholarship has contributed to conversations about play pedagogy, teacher noticing, documentation, and children’s multimodal meaning-making. She also teaches courses in play and learning, creativity and the arts, cognitive development, and qualitative research methods, preparing future educators and researchers to thoughtfully support young children’s learning and development.
Director, USF Preschool for Creative Learning
Cassidy Lee, M.Ed., is Director of the USF Preschool for Creative Learning, the University of South Florida’s educational research center for child development. In this role, she leads teacher inquiry, provides mentoring and job-embedded professional development, and works with USF’s Early Childhood Education program to support the preparation of future early childhood educators.
Prior to becoming director, Cassidy served as a preschool teacher and curriculum specialist. Across these roles, she has supported educators in using play and the Project Approach as powerful frameworks for teaching and learning. Her work focuses on mentoring teachers as they design learning experiences that honor children’s intellectual capacities, using project work and purposeful play to support inquiry, multimodal expression, symbolic representation, and creative thinking.
The USF Preschool for Creative Learning (PCL) provides a site to demonstrate, observe, study, and teach exemplary early childhood practices. Grounded in an inquiry approach to teaching and learning, PCL advances early childhood education through teacher education, research, and community engagement.
Play Studio for Teachers is connected to this spirit of learning by highlighting the ways teachers and play leaders can support children’s ideas, extend their thinking, and create environments where play becomes a powerful part of education. Visit the Preschool for Creative Learning to learn more about its approach, programs, and role within the USF College of Education.
USF’s Early Childhood Education programs prepare educators to create meaningful learning experiences for young children through play, inquiry, creativity, and intentional teaching. Grounded in research and enriched by extensive field-based experiences, our programs help educators develop the knowledge, pedagogical reasoning, and professional expertise to recognize children’s strengths and capabilities and make thoughtful decisions that support their learning and development.
The ideas that inform Play Studio for Teachers grow from this broader commitment to preparing educators who observe closely, respond intentionally, and create rich possibilities for children’s learning. Visit Early Childhood Education at USF to learn more.
