Mark Your Calendars for the Week of the Young Child®
Smart Start local partnerships work across the state; supporting children comprehensively by ensuring high quality child care, promoting early literacy, supporting families with programs that improve parenting skills, and advancing child health and development. Each local partnership has the flexibility to meet the needs of their community through specialized programming using state, federal, local and private funding.
This week, to celebrate the Week of the Young Child® Smart Start local partnerships are lifting up the needs of young children and providing special events to young children, their families, and early education professionals.
The Week of the Young Child® is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). With over 50 years of the Week of the Young Child®, this celebration’s longevity shows how critical it is to support our youngest children.
The Smart Start network is committed to support children and families in a variety of ways based on community need. As the Week of the Young Child® continues, consider joining a local partnership event in your community to learn about early education, to celebrate young children and professionals, and to see what support is available in your community.
Here are a few Smart Start network local partnership events that you can join throughout this week and even the rest of the month!
- Buncombe Partnership for Children will host an event for children Monday, April 4 from 2PM-8PM, offering sign-ups for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Learn more.
- The Guilford Partnership for Children is hosting themed days from Music Monday on April 4 featuring a youth artist to Work Together Wednesday, a free resource fair on April 6, to Family Fun Day on April 8. Learn more.
- Partnership for Children of Wayne County is hosting themed days for children which include, music, the reading of books, and even the creation of healthy food habits.Learn more.
- Alexander County Partnership for Children is hosting a spirit week focused on Week of the Young Child® and a Spring Fling on April 7 featuring free activities and materials for outdoor learning and fun.
- One Place, the Smart Start local partnership in Onslow County, kicks off The Week of the Young Child® with a virtual screening of the documentary, No Small Matter, which highlights the importance of high-quality early care and education; and with family activity events, including car seat safety checks, gross motor activities, and dance parties. Learn more.
- Children’s Council of Watauga is offering a PBS event on April 12 to extend classroom learning. If you’re an educator, parent, or caregiver, sign-up for Cultural Connections with PBS KIDS: It Takes a Village.
These events are just a snapshot of the many Smart Start network events taking place across the state to provide resources to young children and to celebrate the importance of support for young children.
If you’re interested in participating in participating in the Week of the Young Child, connect with your Smart Start local partnership to learn about events they’re hosting and how they’re support children in your community throughout the rest of the year.
