The Week of the Young Child is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the world's largest early childhood education association, with nearly 60,000 members and a network of 51 Affiliates.

The purpose of the Week of the Young Child is to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs.

NAEYC first established the Week of the Young Child in 1971, recognizing that the early childhood years (birth through age 8) lay the foundation for children's success in school and later life. The Week of the Young Child is a time to plan how we—as citizens of a community, of a state, and of a nation—will better meet the needs of all young children and their families.

April 6-12, 2024, has been designated as Week of the Young Child. In celebration of this week, the Courier is spotlighting a couple of our local early childhood learning programs

The Littles In The Big School

Nine years ago Callaway Public Schools began offering educational opportunities for the youngest residents of the village and surrounding area. This year Callaway Public Schools Preschool serves 23 students of preschool age.

Jennifer Hickenbottom is the teacher for the preschoolers, and like the other elementary classes at CPS she is supervised by Elementary Principal Brittany Jesseph. Classes are split into two sessions, morning and afternoon. Morning classes are operated Monday-Friday from 8:05 - 11:05 a.m., and afternoon classes are from 12:15 - 3:44 p.m.

“Our goal is to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children can interact with peers, learn about who they are and the world around them,” Mrs. Hickenbottom explained. “They will be given a variety of opportunities and activities to grow socially, academically, emotionally, and physically.”

Requirements to attend preschool at Callaway Public School are as follows: * Students must reach the age of 3 by July 31 of the current school year. * They must be able to use the restroom independently. * Out-of-district students will be accepted on a space-available basis with tuition to be determined.

* Parents need to complete the registration form, provided by the school office, and provide a current immunization record and birth certificate.

To learn more about the preschool, contact the Callaway Public School front office at 308-836-2272, Mrs. Hickenbottom at jhickenbottom@callawaypublicschools. org, or Mrs. Jesseph at bjesseph@callawaypublicschools.org We asked the students in the Callaway Public School preschool what they want to be when they grow up. Here are their responses.

MORNING CLASS:

Brock Bonde - A teacher Esmae Eggleston - A doctor Asher Hoesel - A dad Waylon Hollibaugh - A builder Raven Malan - Help babies Jaxon McDaniel - A teacher Georgia Meyer - A cheerleader and dentist Roakker Morrison - A truck driver Sawyer Parshley - A doctor Elaina Lynch - A doctor Paityn Steen - A doctor Pratt Warren - A cowboy

AFTERNOON CLASS:

Kolt Berg - A football player Kylee Berg - A Daycare worker Stormy Duplichan - Police officer Sutton Dvorak - Football player Leland Keeney - Farmer Breckenn Luebbe - Alligator wrestler Everleigh Lynch - Police officer Kashton Ortiz - Cowboy Brecken Phelps - Rancher Trevor Thomsen - Firefighter Grayson Walker-Lopez - Farmer

Problem Solving Moms Form Daycare

A conversation at church between two moms of young children led to the opening of a new childcare facility in Callaway last year. Kendra Meyer and Chelsea Williams shared a problem - they both needed consistent quality childcare. So, with the help of Julianna Jenkins and Christie Pitkin, 7 Valley Kids Childcare was born.

The new facility opened on Aug. 14, 2023, and hosted a community ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 27. The daycare is directed by Haylea Wallace with support from Meghan G’Schwind, Emily Pandorf, Sunny Malan, and Brandie Morrison.

Thanks to a working partnership with Callaway Public School, 7 Valley Kids is currently serving 14 children while staying within the 12-at-a-time guideline. “The school comes and picks up our afternoon preschoolers at around 10:50 a.m. and takes them to school to eat lunch and bring our morning preschoolers back,” Director Haylea Wallace explained. “So we don’t have to transport kids at all, which has been super helpful.”

7 Valley Kids Childcare is open Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Their current enrollment ranges in age from 8 months to 5-years-old. The best way to contact 7 Valley Kids is to call 308-880-1029 and ask for Haylea.

We asked the kiddos at 7 Valley Kids Childcare what they want to be when they grow up. Here are their responses: Child 1- dentist Child 2- doctor Child 3-doctor Child 4- mermaid Child 5- astronaut Child 6- drive a bobcat Child 7- farmer