Week of the Young Child 2009:
Bring Communities Together for Children —
Children Bring Communities Together
WEEK OF THE YOUNG CHILD - April 19-25, 2009
The Week of the Young Child is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the world's largest early childhood education association, with nearly 100,000 members and a network of over 300 local, state, and regional Affiliates.
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.
The WOYC actually began in 1969 when Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley signed the proclamation designating May 4-11, as the first Week of the Young Child.
NAEYC, recognizing that the early childhood years (birth through age 8) lay the foundation for children's success in school and later life, adopted the idea and two years later in 1971, established the Week of the Young Child as a celebration on a national level.
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.
Today we know more than ever before about the importance of children's earliest years in shaping their learning and development. Yet, never before have the needs of young children and their families been more pressing.
The Week of the Young Child is a time to recognize that children's opportunities are our responsibilities, and to recommit ourselves to ensuring that each and every child experiences the type of early environment--at home, at child care, at school, and in the community--that will promote their early learning.
Top
To find an ECCE Program near you, please use our school locator.
