Week of the Young Child
Building Better Futures for All Children

Editor : Click HERE to get a complete calendar of events.

BRIDGEPORT, CT - (March 29, 2006) Throughout the week of April 2, 2006, Bridgeport Mayor John Fabrizi and School Superintendent Dr. John Ramos will join sixty-five community organizations in celebrating the Week of the Young Child. This six-day event, “Building Better Futures for All Children,” is part of a national effort focusing on children, families, providers and all those working in early care and education. Its purposes are to improve opportunities for all young children and to thank educators and others involved in building better futures for all children.

When asked why this week is so important, United Way of Eastern Fairfield County’s President & CEO Merle Berke-Schlessel said, “Early learning experiences are crucial to the growth and development of young children and provide a high return on investment, greatly enhancing our potential to compete globally.” United Way Success By 6® Director Abel Padro and Discovery Committee’s Jordana Willers have been coordinating the community’s efforts to help ensure that local Week of the Young Child programs highlight all that is being done in our area pertaining to early care and education.

The local Week of the Young Child celebration will kick off on April 3 with members of the Blueprint for Early Childhood consortium, Congressman Christopher Shays and other elected officials, parents, and providers participating in a 7:30 a.m. legislative breakfast at Housatonic Community College. At that time, the Blueprint for Early Childhood goals will be unveiled. This Blueprint, developed by early childhood partners, will guide the community’s collaborative efforts over the next five years to ensure that our children enter school ready to learn and continue to experience success throughout their lives. Bridgeport Public Schools’ Director of Early Childhood Deborah Watson commented, “The greater Bridgeport community has a host of early childhood professionals working together to improve professional practice and working conditions in early childhood care and education and to build public support for high-quality early childhood programs.”

Additional Week of the Young Child events include Proclamations in Bridgeport and Stratford, Pajama Time Story Hours at Public Libraries and arts and craft activities at Family Resource Center. Area centers have scheduled open houses, tours, Read Alouds and special visits from local elected and business leaders. Local children’s art will be displayed at People’s Bank, City Hall Annex, Housatonic Community College and United Way. The Mayor’s Annual Health Fair, “Healthy Families/Healthy Children,” will take place on April 6 at City Hall Annex. All events are listed on the enclosed calendar. You can also access the calendar of events on the United Way website www.thewaytocare.org. Many of the events are open to the public; check with the sponsoring organization for details.