By Michelle Smith Howard, President & CEO, Kids’ First Years
Alexandria, VA – Kids’ First Years (KFY) is the coordinating body of a collective of local people and organizations dedicated to supporting early childhood education and development for all young children in Alexandria.
Our collective has some exciting news to share! We have decided to build on the annual Week of the Young Child (April 5-11) designation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children with a full month-long recognition of Month of the Young Child in April.
This special time is designed to shine a spotlight on the critical needs of children in the early years – before starting kindergarten – and to celebrate the powerful, positive impact of enriching early learning experiences. Month of the Young Child is a community-wide effort, and we invite parents, caregivers, child care providers, voters, funders, educators, and other partners to join forces and help give every child a great start in life.
Local businesses also can play a key role in celebrating Month of the Young Child by supporting early childhood education, engaging with the community and fostering a positive work environment for employees with young children in the family.
Many interactive and fun activities and programs are planned to highlight the importance of early childhood education and the role it plays in shaping the lives of young children. Some of the events can be found below. A full calendar can be found at kidsfirstyears.org.
Week 1: April 1-4
Friday, April 4
• 9:30 a.m. at Charles Hill Park – Center for Alexandria’s Children (CAC) Pinwheel Planting with the Alexandria Commission on Women, Mayoral Proclamation that April is Month of the Young Child
• 10 a.m. – Kids’ First Years “Connect & Play” session at William Ramsay Recreation Center
Week 2: April 7-11 (Week of the Young Child)
Each day of the week will focus on a different aspect of early childhood education. To view helpful materials packed with ideas for activities to do at home on these daily themes, visit kidsfirstyears.org. All of the activities are closely aligned with KFY’s support of The Basics – five simple-yet-powerful principles that help children thrive in the early years.
Monday, April 7 – Music Monday
When children sing, dance and listen to music, they develop their language and early literacy skills while being active and encouraging movement.
Kids’ First Years will also be hosting a kick-off event at Minnie Howard Early Childhood Center with a musical performance by young students, remarks by Mayor Alyia Gaskins, and a performance by a Wolf Trap Visiting Artist.
Tuesday, April 8 – Tasty Tuesday
Cooking together connects math with literacy skills, science and more. Encourage healthy nutrition and fitness habits at home and in the classroom.
Wednesday, April 9 – Work Together Wednesday
When children build together, they explore math and science concepts and develop their social and early literacy skills. Encourage their curiosity as they play!
Wednesday is also Spring2ACTion: Alexandria’s Giving Day, presented by ACT for Alexandria, to support organizations that make Alexandria a vibrant place for everyone. Many of our collective’s partner organizations will be raising funds to support their respective organizations that provide resources and services for families with young children. Details at spring2action.org
Thursday, April 10 – Artsy Thursday
Children develop creativity, social skills and fine motor skills with art projects where they can make choices and use their imaginations.
Friday, April 11 – Family Friday
Engaging and celebrating families is at the heart of supporting our youngest learners. Parents and family members play an important role as a young child’s first teachers.
Storytimes at the library will also feature books related to the daily themes. Throughout the month, Kids’ First Years will be posting ideas for fun activities that families can do at home or in the community.
April is also National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Pinwheels are a visible reminder of the happy and healthy childhood that all children deserve. Gardens featuring pinwheels bring added awareness to the community this month. Kids’ First Years partners will be planting Pinwheel Gardens at schools and child care centers on Friday, April 11. Participants will receive a coloring sheet from the Center For Alexandria’s Children.
For more information about Kids’ First Years and the collective of community partners, visit kidsfirstyears.org or email [email protected].
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