Denair Unified School District will be celebrating Week of the Young Child, Friday, April 11, 2014, with a festival for their youngest students. Denair Elementary Preschool and Kindergarten students will enjoy a concert by Oklin Bloodworth, a children’s performer, beginning at 9:15, in the Elementary Cafeteria. Immediately following the music performance, festival activities will continue on the kinder/Preschool Playground with fun activities for students, including face-painting, bubble blowing cups, mural painting, an obstacle course, and musical instruments.

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 80,000 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.

NAEYC first established the Week of the Young Child in 1971, recognizing that the early childhood years (birth through age 8) lay the foundation for children’s success in school and later life. 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.

In 2011, NAEYC celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Week of the Young Child™. For more information about the history of the event and the 40th anniversary read Week of the Young Child Turns 40!

Below are photos from the event.