Mifflin County Centers Celebrate “Week of the Young Child”
SUM Child Development, Inc.’s centers in Mifflin County celebrated this year’s “Week of the Young Child,” April 22–28, by offering a variety of activities for the children and families we serve.
McVeytown Head Start’s classes celebrated with a family day that focused on the theme “We Learn as We Grow.” The day started with breakfast with center families. The bus arrived, and everyone headed to Riverside Green House. Mr. Peachey, owner, gave a tour, and the children were able to see different kinds of seeds and how the machine fills the cells to prepare the dirt for planting. The children had an opportunity to plant a vegetable. Everyone then returned to the center, where families went to learning stations and had lunch.
At Lewistown Children’s Center, child care and Head Start classes celebrated with various week-long events:
Monday—Classrooms made instruments for the end of the week parade.
Tuesday—Rosie Massie, literacy consultant, presented to preschool child care, Pre-K Counts and Head Start a “Spring Into Reading” family event with various activities focused on reading.
Wednesday—Lewistown I Head Start classroom went on a field trip to the Career and Technology Center.
Thursday—Classrooms planted flowers around the center.
Friday—The week ended with a parade to O’Hesson Manor nursing home for the elderly to enjoy seeing the kids walk and play their instruments. The Preschool C classroom had an “Animals on Parade” activity to show parents the various animal projects they created.
Healthy Families America, a new SUMCD program for expectant first-time parents, celebrated on Monday, April 23 by having their first Family Night. The families enjoyed a delightful dinner. During family time, each family created scrapbook photo mats for family or infant pictures.
Child Care, Head Start, and Early Head Start classes at Taylor Park Children’s Center programs joined their families and friends at the Church Hill United Methodist Church on Wednesday, April 25, for a night of “Fun for Families” with a carnival theme. Children enjoyed bouncy ball pits, face painting, sack races, discovery mats, and much more, including a visit from Mother Goose and some slithering reptiles.
At Coleman Head Start Center, Coleman I students sang “Good Morning to You” on MERF radio on Tuesday morning, and Coleman II students sang “ABC Rock” on Monday afternoon.
SUMCD urges everyone to recommit themselves to ensuring that each child experiences the type of early environment—at home, child care, Head Start, preschool, grade school, and in the community—that will promote early learning. For more information about “Week of the Young Child,” sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, see here.
Snyder Union Mifflin Child Development (SUMCD), Inc., is a private, non-profit organization that provides high-quality early childhood education to children and parents in multiple counties. SUMCD serves nearly 3,000 children and their families each year through the following programs:
- Head Start
- Early Head Start
- Healthy Families America
- Infant – Age 5 Child Care
- Grades K-6 Child Care
- Part-Day Preschool Early Learning Program at Lewisburg Children’s Center
- Summer Camp
- Child Care Information Services (CCIS)
- Pre-K Counts
- Project PEEK
SUMCD’s mission statement is “Building the future through early care and education… one family at a time.” SUMCD believes in the very important role parents play in the development and growth of children and therefore serves families, not just children. SUMCD reaches out to enhance a family’s quality of life and helps families reach their greatest potential by recognizing their unique needs, building on strengths and resources, respecting and honoring differences, and protecting confidentiality.
