Week of the Young Child 2010!

Each April the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) holds a week long celebration to raise awareness about the importance of early childhood education. This celebration, Week of the Young Child, is an opportunity for us to highlight the tremendous growth and learning that occurs during the early childhood years, showcase the developmentally appropriate practices that take place at St. Aemilian each day, and acknowledge the effort our staff puts into creating and maintaining positive learning experiences for the children at St. Aemilian.

The theme of this year’s event is Play: Where Learning Begins! As I’m sure you’ve seen in your child’s classroom, we are strong believers in the use of play as the primary learning tool for young children. Every experience your preschooler participates in at St. Aemilian is designed to be both fun and educational. Everything from group activities to independent play is an opportunity for growth.

April 12th- 16th, we will put a spotlight on play in the hopes that our families will gain a better understanding of play as an avenue for learning. In the office you will find a constructive play center set up featuring a different manipulative each day. In this center parents will have the opportunity to create a structure with their children, then label and display their creations in the office. Please take a moment to stop by and play with your child at drop off or pick up.

On the blog you will find updates on how we play to learn everyday at St. A’s, links to articles about the importance of play, and ideas for easy, meaningful play you can use at home. Please check back!