From April 13 to April 17, QUALITYstarsNY celebrated the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) Week of the Young Child (WOYC). The week is all about celebrating learning and development in children through a series of themed days that include music, art, food, and family. Take a look at how the QUALITYstarsNY community celebrated.
Music Monday
Music Monday is all about encouraging children to enjoy musical activities while developing their early literacy skills and having fun with friends and family. In Colton, NY, Miss Becca’s Little Explorers celebrated by creating their own shakers, drums, and guitars and going on a morning nature walk, where they listened to different sounds, held a parade, and enjoyed reading “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” with their new instruments!
Tasty Tuesday
On Tasty Tuesday, programs lean into cooking and trying new recipes with children to help connect skills across literacy, math, and science while promoting healthy eating habits. Widdle Ones Child Care Center in Schenectady, NY celebrated with hands-on fun in every classroom! The preschoolers spent the day exploring their senses. One classroom enjoyed Pizzeria role play, while smelling and tasting unique flavors, and the other “tasted the rainbow” with colorful fruits and vegetables. The younger toddlers did a slice‑and‑stamp activity, where they tasted sweet, salty, and sour flavors, then used lemon slices to stamp art. The babies had fun ripping up lettuce and snacking on watermelon. To top it all off, the school‑aged children explored different spices, smelling each one and documenting their observations.
Work Together Wednesday
For Work Together Wednesday, teamwork and collaboration are spotlighted. Creative Environment Day School in Fayetteville, NY, celebrated by offering a project and supplies for parents to work on with their children during drop-off and pick-up. One classroom made a fairy garden using a cardboard box, soil, and a variety of supplies. They also hosted their annual spring art show and book fair, where each student had artwork on display along with books on sale for families to enjoy.
Also on Work Together Wednesday, Executive Directors Erik Sweet from the New York State Education Department Office of Early Learning and Meredith Chimento from the Early Care & Learning Council shared some words in the spirit of partnership.
“For NAEYC’s Week of the Young Child, we are excited to celebrate the importance of high-quality early childhood education. It is our goal to continue expanding access to Universal Prekindergarten across New York State and bring free, high-quality early learning opportunities to as many young learners as possible. Birth to age five is an incredible period of development that has a lifelong impact on children. High-quality prekindergarten programs help lay the foundation for long-term success in school and in life, especially when they nurture young children’s natural curiosity, creativity, and joy of discovery. We are pleased to join our partners at QUALITYstarsNY and others across the country in celebrating the important work that goes into creating early experiences that help our youngest New Yorkers grow and thrive.”
– Erik Sweet, Executive Director of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Early Learning
“Collaboration in early childhood is not just helpful—it is essential. When we work together, we strengthen our programs, our teams, and our impact.”
– Meredith Chimento, Executive Director of the Early Care & Learning Council
Artsy Thursday
Artsy Thursday celebrates encouraging artistic expression in children which helps them develop fine-motor skills and creativity. We took a look back at our Finger Lakes team’s partnership with Studio in a School to host a workshop gathering participating programs for a day of exploring the power of artistic expression.
Family Friday
The last day of WOYC is Family Friday. QUALITYstarsNY aims to uplift families in their role as a support system for our youngest learners beyond the classroom. We have a page with a multitude of resources dedicated to families, including a checklist and guide for families to find the best possible program for their child, and a map for finding QUALITYstarsNY-participating programs in their area.
