Lesley Lingofelt-Svihel. (Contributed)

By Lesley Lingofelt-Svihel
Director, Pacelli Catholic Early Childhood Center

Pacelli Catholic Early Childhood Center (ECC) is celebrating Week of the Young Child from April 24-28.

Week of the Young Child is an annual celebration hosted by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) celebrating early learning, young children, their teachers, and their families.

As early childhood educators, we experience the joys of working with children and their families every day. We get to watch them grow and learn by exploring the world around them. To us, the week of the young child means that we can honor the children by giving them the opportunity to try new things, to be proud of their accomplishments, to give to others and to appreciate their families.

Each day of the week we have special events planned to foster early learning and celebrate children. Here is what we will be doing at Pacelli Catholic Early Childhood Center from April 24-28, 2017 to celebrate Week of the Young Child.

Music Monday – The Pacelli Catholic Middle School Solo and Ensemble group is coming to our center to perform for us and to share their love of music, giving our little people an up close look at what musical instruments sound and feel like. Who knows, maybe they will inspire one of our kiddos to be the next Louis Armstrong or Bob Dylan.

Tasty Tuesday – We want to show our little people just how much fun exercise and eating healthy can be. We are going to get a work out learning to line dance and then renew our energy with a tasty trail mix full of things we like that are good for us.

Work Together Wednesday – This is a day we are hoping to put a smile on some the faces of the residents of the Portage County Health Care Center. We will be making placemats to brighten up their meal time. Hopefully it will bring back some special memories of a time they had a child’s drawing hanging on their refrigerator.

Artsy Thursday – We will have our own Art Gallery set up here at Pacelli Catholic ECC so the children can display some of their masterpieces. What a great feeling for our little people to know that what they do is important and that they can be proud of themselves and their accomplishments.

Family Friday – This day we say thank you to the families who graciously share the most precious thing in their life with us, their children. Families are invited to start the day off having breakfast together. What a great way to begin your day by sharing a meal with your child, getting to know their friends and meeting other families.

Every day is special when you have young children in your life. Week of the Young Child gives us the opportunity to honor young learners one week of the year and celebrate the joy they bring to us.