Early childhood education and development is taking the spotlight this month in Alexandria.
This morning (April 7), Alexandria City Public Schools and city leaders recognized the first-ever Month of the Young Child at the Early Childhood Center at Minnie Howard. The school system is building on the annual National Association for the Education of Young Children‘s (NAEYC) Week of the Young Child (April 5-11) with a month of planned activities.
“Today, we celebrate not just the children who bring us joy and hope every single day, but also the teachers and families community members who make it possible for them to thrive,” said Grace Taylor, ACPS chief of staff. “The children that are going to perform for you today are especially remarkable, born during an unprecedented time of history, during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have shown us what resilience truly looks like. We all remember that time of uncertainty, isolation, and challenges families face, but despite it all, we are witnessing something beautiful today- growth, strength, and a deep sense of community. These boundless children bounced back and they are thriving.”
More than 400 students ages two to five participate in ACPS early childhood programs. The handful of students at today’s event also performed the song “Hello Around the ACPS World” by teacher Gregory House.
After the event, the kids were treated to songs by teaching artist Elias Schutzman from the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts.
According to ACPS:
Alexandria Month of the Young Child was created by Kids’ First Years, a collective impact initiative dedicated to being the unified voice for organizations in Alexandria that collaborate to provide support, care and education for the city’s young children and their families. Learn more about Kids’ First Years and the community partners in the collective at kidsfirstyears.org.
