Groton Community School Celebrates National Week of the Young Child

GROTON, Mass. - April 14, 2014 - PRLog -- Groton Community School invited the community to celebrate the Week of the Young Child™.  The Week of the Young Child is celebrated each April across the country with the purpose of recognizing the importance of a high-quality education for young children and honoring all those who make a difference in children’s lives.

“The experiences a young child has are vital to shaping their foundation for learning and development for future success,” said Linda Kosinski, Director of Groton Community School. “We are proud to offer a nurturing and stimulating environment at Groton Community School and excited that this year’s activities align with our overall theme for the year, which is “Lively Literacy.”

An annual Week of the Young Child tradition at GCS is “filling buckets” by being thoughtful and caring for community members.  This year GCS children created colorful bookmarks, which were distributed in “kindness buckets” at the Groton Public Library and other local libraries throughout our community, as well as Second Hand Prose and Pediatrics West in Groton.

In addition to special classroom happenings, all classes came together for the annual “Peace Picnics” by the school’s peace pole.  Children and their families were also invited to enjoy a school-wide story-telling program by Big Ryan’s Tall Tales.

Along with Week of the Child activities, the school is also recognizing the contributions of Jennie Fitzkee as she celebrates her 30^th year of teaching at Groton Community School. To honor her commitment to young children and literacy, the school is collecting new and very gently used books to donate to “Read Aloud West Virginia,” which supports underprivileged children and families. A native of West Virginia, Ms. Fitzkee continues to share her passion and love for reading as a means to promote early literacy and foster creativity in young children.

“The fundamental constant that gives children the tools to succeed in school is language,” said Ms. Fitzkee. “The more words that children hear, the better they will do in school. Reading aloud to children is far more than an enjoyable experience. It increases their language development! Therefore, I will always campaign to read aloud.”

Ms. Fitzkee’s joy for early literacy can be experienced in the community first-hand at the Groton Public Library. “Chapter Book Read Aloud with Jennie,” a weekly drop-in program for children in kindergarten through second grade, is offered every Tuesday at 4 p.m. in the Community Room.

Donations of new and very gently used children’s books will be collected at Groton Community School through Thursday, April 17^th.  Monetary contributions in Jennie Fitzkee’s name will also be collected at the school through April 17^th. All funds donated will be given directly to “Read Aloud West Virginia.”

Sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Week of the Young Child™ is a time to recognize the importance of early learning and early literacy, and to celebrate the teachers and policies that bring early childhood education to young children.

Groton Community School, a NAEYC accredited children’s learning center, has 24 early childhood professionals working together to improve professional practice in early childhood education. GCS has been nationally accredited since 1993, and is proud to participate with NAEYC to build public support for high-quality early childhood education programs.

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About Groton Community School

Groton Community School is a nationally accredited, non-profit early childhood center serving families with children age two through kindergarten. For more than 75 years, Groton Community School has been committed to interacting with each child as a unique individual and dedicated to giving each child and his/her family the most positive first school experience. We strive to be a “community” school in every sense of the word, welcoming and embracing the community.  For more information, visit www.grotoncommunityschool.org.

About NAEYC

The National Association for the Education of Young Children is the largest organization of early childhood educators and others dedicated to improving the quality of early education programs for children birth through age 8. Founded in 1926, NAEYC has nearly 80,000 members and a national network of more than 300 local, state, and regional Affiliates. For more information, visit www.naeyc.org.