By Paige McKay Kubik | Vice President, Development & Communication
Dear Friends,
Every April, Sheltering Arms joins the National Association for the Education of Young Children and early childhood programs around the United States to celebrate the Week of the Young Child. We celebrate the unique gifts of each child, and show them how much they are loved and valued by parents and teachers. We also celebrate to raise the community's awareness that these young children are our best investment in the future. From Nobel Laureate economist James Heckman to Dr. Jack Shonkoff, Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, many of our nation's greatest thinkers, leaders, and researchers are championing early childhood education as the best investment in our future. Young children who begin their lives in a stable, nurturing, stimulating environment are more likely to succeed as adults. Their success will build healthy communities and robust economies that benefit us all.
We began the Week of the Young Child with the Sheltering Arms StoryStroll. Families from all sixteen Sheltering Arms centers came together to walk a mile for our children, and to enjoy a family-friendly festival that promoted healthy choices. Later in the week, our board of directors took their annual tour of our centers, speaking with parents and playing with children along the way, and taking back to their deliberations the knowledge of how their work impacts families on our front lines. Centers hosted fashion shows, international celebrations, field days, reading events, and cookouts with dads at the grill...all aimed at making our children feel special and at reminding adults of the important role of play and imagination in children's development. We also launched a special "Alumni News" page on our website during the Week of the Young Child to celebrate the accomplishments of our children as they grow. Check it out at the link below, and come back often as we post more stories leading up to our 125th anniversary celebration next year.
One of our celebrations during the Week of the Young Child is Georgia's new Quality Rating System. It will recognize early childhood centers that go beyond basic licensing requirements to produce better results for young children. We are honored to be among the first programs participating in the system, and were proud to be featured in a recent story on WXIA-TV about the system. You can see the story in the link we've provided.
In the next few weeks we will be saying good-bye to some of our children as they begin their transition to elementary school. It is always a bittersweet time for us, sad to see children we love moving on, but grateful that we have helped prepare them for the opportunities ahead. As a supporter of our work, you also play an important role in their lives. Thank you so much.
With gratitude,
Paige
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