Professional Development Programs

Are you looking for professional learning opportunities for your staff? The Montclair History Center offers two professional development programs: “Connections to Life in Early New Jersey Professional Development Program” and “Connections to Black History Professional Development Program.” Participants will gain skills and knowledge that they can immediately bring into their classrooms. Along with this, participants will acquire an understanding of how to teach complex topics in a respectful and engaging way. Teachers and staff attending these professional development learning events will receive a certificate of participation for their records. Programs are approximately 2.5 to 3 hours with a fee of $750 for up to 25 educators and administrators. For groups larger than 25, please contact our staff for pricing. Included in this fee are light refreshments. To register for either of these programs, please email mail@montclairhistory.org or call 973-744-1796.

Connections to Life in Early New Jersey 

Our Connections to Life in Early New Jersey Professional Development Program offers an immersive experience for educators to gain an understanding of the area’s history as a new nation and the growth of Essex county as a suburban community. Daily life in Early New Jersey will be emphasized along with discussions of the roles of men and women, enslaved people, and servants who might have worked in the household.

This interactive and engaging program utilizes the Crane House and Historic YWCA exhibitions and archival collections to connect the lives of the people in the past to our present day. This program includes a tour of the museum, an immersive open-hearth cooking experience, a visit to our 19th century schoolhouse, and access to primary and secondary resources such as maps, ledgers, journals, and city directories all of which provide a springboard for an understanding of the importance of how these materials connect the lives of the people in the past to our present day.

Connections to Black History

Our Connections to Black History Professional Development program offers insight for educators to gain an understanding of Black history spanning over 200 years. This program opens the doors to dialogue pertaining to the value of research materials in relation to our understanding of history.  Educators will explore artifacts along with primary and secondary documents related to Black History from the founding of our country through today. 

This program includes an in-depth tour of our museum. In addition, educators will have the opportunity to utilize the Crane House and Historic YWCA exhibitions and archival collections to examine artifacts such as a Bill of Sale of an enslaved person,  “runaway ads,” and local redlining maps. They will be able to listen to first-hand accounts from Black women of the segregated Montclair YWCA, and review maps, scrapbooks, contemporary postcards, and other rare books, giving insight and understanding to the importance of the use of primary and secondary documents.