Week of the Young Child Celebration is a Time to Treasure

TIOGA & BRADFORD COUNTIES, PA—The Week of the Young Child is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). NAEYC, the world's largest early childhood education association, first established the Week of the Young Child in 1971 to recognize that the early childhood years (birth through age 8) lay the foundation for children's success in school and later life. Its purpose 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. 

Twenty-two classrooms of Bradford-Tioga Head Start celebrated the Week of the Young Child with a variety of fun and engaging activities, and the children of the Mansfield PM class created artwork based on the theme “This is my Treasure.” The artwork was placed on display in the lobby of the Mansfield branch of First Citizen’s National Bank. 

Kevin Green (shown below), branch manager of First Citizen’s National Bank, came into the classroom to read the book “What a Treasure!” with the children of the Mansfield classroom while Lorraine Brown read the book to the Wysox classroom. 

Green and his fellow Kiwanis members have read to children every Wednesday during the school year. Due to a charitable donation from First Citizen’s National Bank, Bradford-Tioga Head Start was able to purchase a copy of “What a Treasure!” for every Head Start and Early Head Start child. 

The children also created special artwork, which was displayed at the Rome Dandy Mini Mart and AJ’s restaurant in Wysox. Community members from the Towanda and Wysox areas visited the children of the Wysox classroom throughout the week. Sandy Crawford of Ag Choice Farm Credit read books to the children that were donated by her employees. Pastor Theo Griffin sang and read stories with a Caribbean flair, Sharon Horton and Missy Brown brought in a baby lamb and explained how people collect wool, and Sheriff CJ Walters (shown below) joined Head Start Parents Julius, Mike, and Kristin to read to the children.