Children invited to play, learn during ‘Week of the Young Child’
Merced County’s participation in Week of the Young Child, a national observance to promote the development and meet the needs of children, kicked off with Sunday’s Kite Festival in Livingston, where hundreds of families gathered to see colorful crafts waft through the air.
Similar to Sunday’s event, a number of other activities that promote play and education are scheduled throughout Merced County communities.
▪ The Strong from the Start Through Literacy storytime event started Monday and is scheduled to continue throughout the week at the ACCESS Center in Los Banos, 663 I St. Elected officials will read to children, and each child will walk away with a free book.
▪ Movie in the Park will take place in Houlihan Park in Planada, starting at 8:30 p.m. on Friday. This year, organizers will screen “The Lego Movie.”
▪ The Big Race event at Bear Country Preschool will include box car racing, carnival games, face painting and a petting zoo. The event will take place Friday, with the carnival starting at 6:30 p.m, and the race beginning at 7:30 p.m. For more information about registering to participate in the Big Race, contact Bear Country Preschool at (209) 722-2327.
▪ The Children’s Expo and Fair, a children’s and family services resource fair, will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday at the George Washington Carver Center in Dos Palos.
▪ Week of the Young Child will close on Saturday with the annual Day at the Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Applegate Park in Merced. The event will include games, a bubble art exhibition, healthy snacks and a soccer clinic.
As an extension to Week of the Young Child, Building Healthy Communities, along with other community partners, will put together a community fair in south Merced on April 22. A host of games and activities are planned from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m at Tenaya Middle School.
Stephanie Aguilar, a program specialist at First 5 Merced County, said the week celebrates all children, families and the education workforce. According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, children learn in a variety of ways. Play at a young age is important for promoting language, cognition and social competence.
All events are free and open to the public.
For more information, call the First 5 Merced County office at (209) 385-7337 or the Merced County Office of Education at (209) 381-6600.
This story was originally published April 13, 2015 at 5:56 PM with the headline "Children invited to play, learn during ‘Week of the Young Child’."