Area day cares celebrate Week of the Young Child

Ava Owens, at right, plays with a parachute during festivities Thursday for Week of the Young Child at Southwest Early Childhood Center (SECC).
Ava Owens, at right, plays with a parachute during festivities Thursday for Week of the Young Child at Southwest Early Childhood Center (SECC).

All you could see Thursday were smiles and groves of children laughing at the Special Learning Center and Southwest Early Childhood Center, as students participated in activities marking the Week of the Young Child.

Day care and school advocates across the nation celebrate the Week of the Young Child annually to acknowledge early learning, young children, teachers and family members' roles in children's development. This year, the celebration runs through Saturday.

"It takes a village to raise a child," SECC Principal Nicole Langston said. "It's important for the community to know the importance of spending time with children, raising up the leaders of our next generation."

The SECC is celebrating by hosting field day events open to the whole community, allowing other day cares to participate.

"It's for any of the day cares in the community that normally don't have access to a big playground, parachute or bouncy house," she said.

Parents who have children with special needs may face additional obstacles when it comes to participating in events that are not ADA-accessible. This week is ideal for parents looking for some place fun to take their children.

Scholastic sponsored the SECC event, sending volunteers to help the children have as much fun as possible throughout the day. The students could play in an inflatable obstacle course as well as work as a team to make their parachute glide.

"This is time for the kids just to be a kid, without being in a work-based setting," said Audrey Green, speech therapist at the center. "They are having a blast."

Langston added, "When adults can be playful with the kids, this allows them to feel comfortable to take more risks,v and we promote that here."

Celebrations continued across town, where children at the Special Learning Center were dressed as superheroes. The SLC has hosted "Superhero Day" for the past seven years.

The children met with officers from the Cole County Sheriff's Department, who escorted Batman and Robin, played by local community leaders, to the center.

"I think it is great for the kids to have interaction with role models of the community," said Ronessa Gunnersen, parent of a 4-year-old at the SLC. "Any chance they get to interact is beneficial for the kids."

Batman and Robin talked to the children about how being good makes them a superhero to their parents, teachers, friends and family members. They provided the students with superhero gifts varying from books to age-appropriate games.

"We want the kids to recognize that anyone can be a hero," Debbie Hamler, executive director at the SLC, said.

She also recognized Mia the therapy dog and SLC alumna Grace Davis as heroes in the community. Davis, who overcame spina bifida, a birth defect where the spine develops improperly, was present at Thursday's event.

"Some of these kids go through so much; I don't think they need to wear a cape to be a superhero," said Jennifer Turner, parent of a 3-year-old child enrolled at the center.

Hamler agreed, acknowledging one of the center's mantras: "Sometimes real superheroes live in the hearts of small children fighting big battles."