The national Week of the Young Child will be celebrated at Somerville City Hall on Wednesday, April 10.

On Wednesday, April 10, 2019, children and teachers from childcare, preschool, and kindergarten programs across the city will gather at Somerville’s City Hall for a day of celebration and civic engagement as part of the national Week of the Young Child.

Somerville’s youngest residents will be joined by local dignitaries and early education leaders from around the state, to celebrate young children and the important role that early education plays in preparing our youngest learners for a lifetime of success.

More than 200 young children are expected to descend on City Hall at 10:00 a.m. on April 10 for a special event that will include singing in multiple languages, touring various city hall offices to learn about city management, participating in a civic engagement activity, and being part of a proclamation reading by Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone. The festivities begin in the City Council Chambers of City Hall.

Students have been researching and developing projects that demonstrate ways to make Somerville a kind and fair city, in response to a letter from Mayor Curtatone in which he asks for their input on how we can make Somerville “…a kind and fair place for everyone.”

Students will present their projects to the Mayor at the April 10th event, after which the children’s work will be on display at City Hall. As part of their planning and research, students read this year’s Social Story, I Live Here in Somerville, also available in Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole at: www.somerville.k12.ma.us/woyc.

“This is an event that children and adults look forward to for weeks! By writing to the children, the mayor engages our youngest community members in a conversation about their place in the world and how to make it better for everyone,” stated Somerville Public Schools Early Education Director, Dr. Lisa Kuh. “Through their research and project work, children are engaging in interesting, inquiry-based curriculum, and thinking deeply with peers and teachers. They are also discovering how learning contributes to society. This is how we build an engaged and inclusive community – by putting children at the center of our work and celebrating them as contributing members of our community.”

The event at City Hall begins at 10:00 a.m. with music as Maura Mendoza-Quiroz, Language and Leadership Liaison for the Somerville Family Learning Collaborative, leads children in a multilingual medley of songs to set the tone for an active morning of learning and social justice.

Somerville High School Career and Technical Education students from the early education program will be sharing their children’s “Bill of Rights.” Preschool students will again have an opportunity to take part in a special art project, courtesy of The Beautiful Stuff Project. Children will also be using Somerville vintage voting machines to cast their votes on the best ways to be kind and fair.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) designates a week in April every year as the Week of the Young Child to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families. This year’s Week of the Young Child is April 8-12. Communities all around the country will be celebrating young children throughout the week with a variety of special events.

-Somerville Public Schools