Who, What & Why: The Week of the Young Child

The Week of the Young Child is a celebration we look forward to year after year. At our schools, it means extra special activities for our friends, but its significance is much deeper. Get the “Who,” “What” and “Why” you might not know right here.

Who?
The world’s largest early childhood education association, The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), sponsors The Week of the Young Child. NAEYC designates the dates and theme of the annual celebration, then events are planned at the local level by communities or early childhood education institutions, such as The Malvern School.

Did you know? The Malvern School curriculum is designed to meet or exceed the standards established by NAEYC. Daycares or preschools that meet NAEYC’s standards of excellence provide an environment with a focus on health and safety, have teachers who are well trained, have access to excellent teaching materials, and work with curriculum that is appropriately challenging and developmentally sound to provide high-quality education for children.

What?
According to NAEYC, “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.”

This year the Week of the Young Child is being celebrated April 16-20 and includes daily themes:

• Music Monday! April 16, 2018
  Sing, dance, celebrate and learn
  Through music, children develop math, language and literacy skills – all while having fun and being active!
• Tasty Tuesday April 17, 2018
  Healthy eating and fitness at home and school
  This fun, food-themed day is about more than just cheese and crackers. Cooking together connects math with literacy skills, science and more.  
• Work Together Wednesday April 18, 2018
  Work together, build together, learn together
  When children build together, they explore math and science concepts and develop their social and early literacy skills.
• Artsy Thursday April 19, 2018
  Think, problem solve, create
  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.
• Family Friday April 20, 2018
  Sharing family stories
  Engaging and celebrating families is at the heart of supporting our youngest learners. NAEYC and The Malvern School applaud family members’ role as young children’s first and most important teachers. 

Why?
The Week of the Young Child was established by NAEYC in 1971 in recognition of the importance of early childhood in laying the groundwork for children’s success later in life – whether in school or beyond. NAEYCS states, “The Week of the Young Child is a time to plan how we—as citizens of a community, of a state, and of a nation—will better meet the needs of all young children and their families.”

Interested to learn more about The Week of the Young Child? Visit https://www.naeyc.org/events/woyc/ and look for photos of our week-long celebration on Facebook and Twitter!