Beaufort-Hyde Partnership prepares for Week of the Young Child

Published 6:29 pm Monday, April 9, 2018

The most precious treasures of any community are its children. In recognition of this, the staff at Beaufort-Hyde Partnership for Children, along with educators and child care providers throughout the county, are preparing to celebrate the Week of the Young Child from April 16 to 20.

“There’s a lot of things that happen in April,” BHPC Executive Director Lisa Woolard said. “April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and Child Health Month. With the Week of the Young Child, this is really an opportunity to celebrate our children all month long.”

Following the theme of “Come and Play Along!” a full week of fun and educational activities, developed and suggested by the BHPC, will take place at day cares and preschools throughout the area to celebrate the event.

Monday will kick off the week with a special musical tribute to Dr. Seuss’ “Oh the Places You’ll Go” performed by local artist Dante’ Foreman. This fun rap, entitled “Moving with a Message,” will get kids moving and also help impart a sense of self-respect, pride and determination.

“We want all children to love books,” Woolard said. “So they have to have opportunities to come to love books in different ways.”

On Tuesday, it will take a village as child care providers rearrange their classrooms into a neighborhood community, complete with places like grocery stores, police and fire stations, schools and doctors’ offices. This activity will serve to teach kids about the communities they live in and the people who make them work.

On Wednesday, the kids will play “Guess who I am,” dressing the part of cartoon characters, family members, storybook characters or even animals. Thursday will see kids create a book, inviting their families to become involved with literacy.

To top it all off on Friday, childcare providers throughout the area will take their kids outdoors, enjoying a variety of activities set outside. Check with your child’s provider for participation and details.

This week of festivities will culminate with the annual Children’s Parade and Festival, taking place at Washington’s Festival Park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 26. The day’s festivities will kick off with a “Paint the Town Blue” Children’s Parade at 10 a.m., raising awareness of child abuse prevention. Parade participants are asked to wear blue and line up by way of Bonner Street beginning at 9:30. In addition to wearing blue shirts that day, area residents are invited to also decorate their doors blue throughout the month as a show of support for child abuse prevention.

Activities will continue from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., with games and outdoor play, as well as live music from Pamlico Joe and Clean Water Flow. A wide variety of agencies will take part in the event, ensuring plenty to do for all who come out.

“It’s important that we’re mindful of the fact that our children are our greatest resource,” Woolard said. “Their success depends on all of us, and there are no do overs.”

The Beaufort-Hyde Partnership for Children is a 501C3 nonprofit organization, with a focus on serving the needs of young children in Beaufort and Hyde counties. A SMART START partner organization, BHPC is one of 75 partnerships covering North Carolina’s 100 counties. For more information, click to www.bhckids.org or follow the organization on Facebook at @beauforthydekids.