News

Week of the Young Child 2020

April 2020
 

Don't miss this year's Week of the Young Child celebration, April 11-17! Join us for a fun-filled week celebrating early learning, young children, their teachers, families, and communities by posting your creative projects using the hashtag #woyc20.


Today we know more than ever before about the importance of children's earliest years in shaping their learning and development. Yet, never before have the needs of young children and their families been more pressing. The Week of the Young Child is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the world's largest early childhood education association, with nearly 80,000 members and a network of over 300 local, state, and regional Affiliates. The purpose of the Week of the Young Child is to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs. The Week of the Young Child is a time to plan how we as a community will better meet the needs of all young children and their families. This week we are taking the opportunity to share inspirational, themed ideas but to also highlight some of our funded programs that align with these themes. 

Music Monday
Sing, dance, celebrate, and learn through music. Children develop math, language, and literacy skills while having fun and being active!
* Tip to try at home: Talk, Sing & Point, by The Basics Mecklenburg

Tasty Tuesday
Focus on healthy eating at home and school. The objective of our funded program, Healthy Futures Starting In The Kitchen, works to address and prevent the onset of early childhood obesity. The workshops within the Healthy Futures program promote hands-on activities designed to engage Early Childhood professionals as they learn more about children's nutrition and healthy eating habits. To learn more, click here.

Work Together Wednesday
Work together, build together, learn together. When children build together they explore math and science concepts while developing social and early literacy skills. To learn more about programs that Smart Start of Mecklenburg works with through funding, click on the links below:

Artsy Thursday
Children develop creativity, social skills and fine motor skills with open-ended art projects where they can make choices, use their imaginations, and create with their hands. On Artsy Thursday, celebrate the joy and learning little ones experience when engaged in anything creative.
      *Tip to try at home: Explore Through Movement & Play, by The Basics Mecklenburg

Family Friday
Engaging and celebrating families is at the heart of supporting our youngest learners. to learn more about the following family-focused programs that Smart Start of Mecklenburg County funds, click the links below:

  • Sound Beginnings and APPLE A Day
  • Early Childhood Intervention
  • GPS

Visit the NAEYC for additional resources, support and inspiration.