Week of the Young Child

This year, the Week of the Young Child was held April 1-7, 2023. The Week of the Young Child first began in 1971, sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and continues to be celebrated annually worldwide today. Week of the Young Child focuses the public’s attention on the needs of young children and their families and recognizes the programs that they attend to meet their needs. Young children includes children birth through age eight. 

The staff, children, and families at our Bennington County Head Start and Early Head Start sites joined in the celebrations all week. 

On Music Monday, classrooms made their own music with instruments, common household items, and even cups of water! Children sang and danced both indoors and out. 

On Tasty Tuesday, each toddler and preschooler assembled their own afternoon snacks made from cored apple slices, sun butter, and an array of tasty and colorful healthy toppings. Spreading and pinching while assembling worked everyone’s fine motor skills as well. 

On Work Together Wednesday, children of all ages completed a variety of activities and experiences where teamwork was the key to success! The UCS Infant Toddler Center children and staff worked together to build and decorate a large fort-box for hours of play. Staff and children at the Spring Center engaged in cooperative play activities as well as cleaning up and caring for their classroom together. In North Bennington, children created shared murals as well as helping their teachers and classmates as a team to clean their eating areas. 

On Artsy Thursday, children of all ages engaged in art projects and explored of a variety of media. From painting, to coloring with markers on three dimensional objects, to painting with unconventional materials instead of paint brushes in order to explore different textures, to creating their own suncatchers, children embraced their creative sides! 

Family Friday was the culmination of the week’s events. The program thanked its parents and families for enrolling in the program and participating and sharing their children with us. Further, the program thanked its Policy Council and Board for their support and dedication. The program proudly cosponsored a family swim hour on Friday afternoon with the Bennington YMCA to give back to families and support their time together with a fun and meaningful activity. 

More information about the Week of the Young Child may be found at https://www.naeyc.org/events/woyc. Photos of all our Bennington County Head Start/Early Head Start Week of the Young Child events and opportunities may be found on the Head Start/Early Head Start Facebook page.