Celebrate the Week of the Young Child 2021

April 10-16 is designated as Week of the Young Child by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. This is the 50th anniversary of the event that focuses attention on the needs of young children and their families. The weeklong event recognizes early childhood programs and provides information about the importance of these developmental years.

Child development in the first five years is represented by the demonstration of quickly acquiring new skills from smiles and coos to talking in complete sentences. A child’s brain is 85-90 percent developed within those first five years. It is important that we nurture and encourage our children to maximize their development during this crucial time. High quality early childhood programs offer an opportunity for our young learners to grow and develop while exploring their world in a safe and enriching environment. Skilled staff educated and trained in early childhood development provide classrooms that meet the needs of each child while creating a collaborative atmosphere of a school family.

Join us this week as we focus on our youngest learners and some of the experiences within the RPS 205 Early Childhood classrooms.

Interested in learning more about RPS 205 Early Childhood opportunities for children birth to age 5? Visit rps205.com/enroll/early-childhood or call the Early Childhood Screening and Placement Office at 815-229-2103.

This blog post is part of a series celebrating the Week of the Young Child. The WOYC is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children to focus public attention on early learning, young children, their teachers, families and communities.

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Hillary Cook-Harris

Hillary Cook-Harris is the Director of Early Childhood Curriculum and Assessment. Hillary joined RPS 205 in November 2019 after relocating from Michigan. She has been an Early Childhood educator and director for more than 25 years.