What is the Week of the Young Child?
The Week of the Young Child (WOTYC) is a special week-long celebration that was created by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) in 1971. This annual event is all about celebrating the needs of young children and their families and recognizing the early childhood programs and services that help meet those needs. This week, and every other week, we recognize the importance of your child’s earliest years in shaping their learning and development for life.
Why is the Week of the Young Child Important?
The Week of the Young Child is an important event that brings attention to the critical importance of the first 5 years of a child’s life in shaping their learning and development.
WOTYC serves as a reminder that every child deserves access to high-quality early childhood education and care that supports their development in all areas, including social-emotional, cognitive, physical, and language skills. This week is devoted to recognizing the daily experiences of every child in their home, childcare, school, and community that help promote these various domains of early learning.
In addition, Week of the Young Child emphasizes the importance of early childhood educators in providing high-quality care and education to young children. It recognizes the dedication, hard work, and expertise of early childhood educators and encourages professional development to support their ability to provide the best possible care and education for your child.
2023 Week of the Young Child at KCC
The theme for this year’s WOTYC was Kindness and took place from Monday, April 3rd, to Friday, April 7th. We had a fun-filled week at KCC celebrating early learning and all of the children in our program through different daily themes and dress-up days.
Monday 4/3: Powered by Kindness, Wear a Superhero Outfit
On Monday, we hosted a card exchange in class. Those who participated made an encouraging card at home, brought it to class, and swapped it with another card someone brought in.
Tuesday 4/4: Team Kindness, Wear Sporting Attire
We dressed up in our favorite sporting attire and we all participated in a fun team activity at school on the playground.
Wednesday 4/5: Work Out Problems with Kindness, Wear Workout Clothes
The children put on their workout clothes and all did a fun workout routine together on the playground.
Thursday 4/6: Hats Off to Kindness, Wear a Hat
Everyone wore a hat to school. We encouraged our families to call their grandparents or other family members with your child to let them know how much you care!
Friday 4/7: Peace, Love, and Kindness
To wrap up a memorable week, we asked the children in our program to wear tie-dye clothes and get ready for a big dance party at school to wrap up kindness week.
Past Week of the Young Child Celebrations
Check out how we’ve celebrated Week of the Young Child in previous years.
