What are you doing for Week of the Young Child?

Yesterday was a beautiful day to start the Week of the Young Child. In walking around my neighborhood, it was great to see so many children out and about laughing and playing.

I was fortunate to witness one special moment when a father was playing in the front yard with his 3 year-old son Timothy. My husband and I watched as Timothy hit the white plastic ball with his super-sized orange plastic bat. Timothy was surprised at how far the ball traveled; Peter and I clapped with excitement as if he had hit a home run. Timothy was beaming with pride.

I also enjoyed seeing Samantha, another neighborhood child, walking down the sidewalk with her five-year old cousin Chelsea who took delight in walking Samantha's dog, Benji. Chelsea worked very hard to keep Benji on the sidewalk and out of the neighborhood gardens. She took her dog-walking duties very seriously while repeatedly saying, "over here Benji, over here."

Reflecting on yesterday's neighborhood walk, it was wonderful to see little children enjoying such time and attention. I especially enjoyed it when little ones waved from their strollers or tricycles to say "Hi!".

In my office hangs Dorothy Law Note's 1969 poem, Children Learn What They Live. The poem's last line reads “If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world”. This reminds me of the importance of early learning and of taking a moment to celebrate young children. This special week comes just after the Foundation celebrated our 9th anniversary earlier this month. We are proud of our work to advance early learning in Washington State!

Have fun this week, Week of the Young Child, and be sure to share with the community what you are doing to celebrate this important time. Tell us what you will be up to in the community forum.