This year is the 50th anniversary of Week of the Young Child (WOYC), and the Northern Pennsylvania Regional College (NPRC) is celebrating April 10th – 16th, 2021. This event was developed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) to challenge the early education community to “Step It Up” and spread the word about the importance of high-quality early learning, as well as the critical role early childhood educators play in a child’s development and learning.
On March 22, Founding President Nairn signed a proclamation to advance the Early Childhood Education (ECE) profession. This proclamation acknowledged the following:
- High-quality ECE is dependent upon high-quality early childhood educators who ensure that children, supported by families, have the early experiences they need for a strong foundation.
- Many early childhood educators do not have equitable, affordable access to needed credentials and degrees.
- Early childhood educators need a mixed-delivery ECE system of degrees and credentials that allows them to select the setting that best meets their needs.
- Early childhood educators need opportunities to acquire critical skills, knowledge, and competencies through pathways to credentials and higher education degrees, without incurring college debt.
Founding President Nairn and the NPRC recognizes the complex, valuable, and demanding work of educators, as well as the fact that when our society helps educators, we also help children and families. All early childhood educators should be valued, respected, and compensated for the important roles they play.
Join us during Week of the Young Child on social media or at home and help us celebrate Music Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Work Together Wednesday, Artsy Thursday, or Family Friday! Use the hashtags #WOYC21, #InvestinECE, or #ECEwins to share with us the ways your children learn as they sing, cook together, build together, create art, and celebrate with their families.
[wecreate_button class=”light-btn colored” href=”/academic/early-childhood-education-early-intervention”]Learn More About Our Early Childhood Education Degree[/wecreate_button]