Welcome to the Week of the Young Child Guide!
Celebrating our Youngest Learners: You Can Make the Difference!
April 13 - 17, 2020
It's another day in Mr. Walter's classroom, and Ari and Blaine hatch a plan to put on a show. Throughout the day, their classmates join the play and contribute new ideas. Finally, it's show time—and just in time for a special audience!
While presenting a group of children following their interests, All in One Day shows the routine of a typical day in child care.
The book contains a page of information to help adults connect the story to children's experiences.
~ Redleaf Press
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 80,000 members and a network of over 300 local, state, and regional 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. https://www.naeyc.org/woyc/faq#
View the latest WOYC events on the NAEYC Twitter feed!
Tell Your Story: Get Started as an Advocate for ECE!
Thursday, April 16th 7:00-8:30pm (Central)
Presented by
Marie Huey, Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator at Think Small and
Mary Muhs, M. Ed., Department Chair-Rasmussen University
Participants will explore what it means to be an advocate and share their story. Participants will also discover strategies for communicating with stakeholders and standing up for best practices in early childhood education and for early childhood educators.
Make sure your state and local elected officials are all singing from the same songbook! Join the chorus for change and work with your states’ Affiliates to help policymakers sign proclamations that honor and advance the early childhood education profession as part of the WOYC™. Get inspired by what NAEYC’s affiliate leaders and partners did in 2019 to move beyond "thanks and recognition." Also, don't forget to access the new 2020 Proclamation Toolkit, an easy-to-use resource that will help you secure a proclamation to educate the public, bring attention to our issues, and provide an effective advocacy tool for the future!
This fun, food-themed day is about more than just cheese and crackers. Cooking together connects math with literacy skills, science, and more. With the rise in childhood obesity, you can encourage healthy nutrition and fitness habits at home and in the classroom. Create your own healthy snacks and share the recipes and photos of your creations on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using the hashtag #woyc20.
Visit our resources page for more ideas on healthy food creations and activities!
When children build together they explore math and science concepts and develop their social and early literacy skills. Children can use any building material—from a fort of branches on the playground to a block city in the classroom, or a hideaway made from couch pillows at home. Build and share pictures of children’s creations on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using the hashtag #woyc20.
Visit our resources page to learn more on how teamwork develops young children's social and early literacy skills.
Think, problem solve, create! Children develop creativity, social skills and fine motor skills with open-ended art projects where they can make choices, use their imaginations, and create with their hands. On Artsy Thursday celebrate the joy and learning children experience when engaged in creative art making. Use any materials—from crayons to paint, clay to crafts! Create and share photos of your children’s creations on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using the hashtag #woyc20.
Visit our resources page for articles on encouraging imagination and creativity in children.
Engaging and celebrating families is at the heart of supporting our youngest learners. NAEYC applauds family members’ role as young children’s first and most important teachers. Share pictures and stories about your family on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using the hashtag #woyc20.
Visit our resources page celebrations for more ideas on celebrating young children and their families.
Advocacy and Action, In Grit, Resilience, and Motivation in Early Childhood by 
The Parent's Role as Advocate, In Does My Child Have a Developmental Delay? by For more Education resources and support, be sure to visit the School of Education Guide. Click here!
