Week of the Young Child

"Working families need child care and supportive employer policies to be able to meet the needs of their young children throughout the day.

In the United States the majority of mothers with children under age 18 work, including 59% of those with infants and 74% of those with school-aged children."

-www.naeyc.org

Today Magnolia joined myself, Aunt Sara, Uncle Brad, and many early childhood advocates from across the state at the governor's proclamation. The governor proclaimed this week, April 11-17, 2010, the official "Week of the Young Child" in Idaho.

I have been celebrating this week through a variety of grassroots efforts since my time in college as a pre-service early childhood educator. Today I celebrate not only as a professional in this field, but as a mother of a young child.

I felt at though the statistic above is a profound fact about the reality of today's families. Parents work! Mothers work! Fathers work! We work because it often takes two providers to meet the needs and expenses of family's today. We work because we have careers we love.

The thing is, that our children come first, and as a working mother I'll be the first to admit that if my daughter wasn't able to be cared for in a setting that I found as beneficial for learning, growing and loving as our own home, I wouldn't be able to be a working mom.

The fact is, that few families can afford quality care and education. Few families are informed about what quality care and education should look like. Few families hear about the importance of these first few years of their child's life. Some states (hint-hint) lack support for early childhood initiatives. Many early childhood programs are unable to pay qualified early childhood professionals decent wages...this is why we advocate and continue to support families and young children this week and everyday. It's time to celebrate and support the young children, like Magnolia, in our communities!

Happy Week of the Young Child!

Stringing Beads

Amazing isn't it?? She strung and unstrung ALL the beads three times. She concentrated so hard on this task. She problem solved all on her on, over and over again!

Zac and I watched amazed...SO PROUD!

Magnolia and Cousin Issac

Here are some pictures that Grandma Crist took of her cute grandkids playing together yesterday...

Magnolia goes to brunch with her family...

Magnolia on the way to brunch

Magnolia posing for pictures after brunch

Magnolia and her Aunties

Magnolia giving "ba-bye" kisses

Magnolia walking to the car with Mommy

Love You Omah and Opah!

Magnolia's s great-grandparents brought her over a cute new outfit and some musical instruments! She insisted that she get to try on her new outfit (a little big, but will fit great this summer), and then she started making music...

New Glasses

Maggie's been very into sunglasses since Zac and I got her the pair for her Spring Basket. Auntie Hailey brought her another pair, which she instantly fell in love with.

Many of you know that Maggie often totes "tye-dye" (her tye-dye blanket that is) around with her. She uses "bear blankie" at school, and this weekend she decided she needed both blankies every time a cuddle was in order.

Eggs!

Magnolia's been exploring eggs at school in the sensory table---scooping, and pouring oats with plastic eggs. It looks at though she decided to rub the oats in the sensory table in her hair!

On Thursday the children got the opportunity to dye eggs together. Sara and Brad picked Maggie up from school that afternoon, and she had her first sleep-over! Sara said Maggie "told" them all about her egg, and wanted to hold it all night.