The Week of the Young Child Kicks Off Tomorrow in Branford

 is an annual celebration by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and Branford Early Childhood Collaborative (BECC) is celebrating our youth for the second consecutive year starting tomorrow.

According to BECC organizers of this weeklong festival of children, the importance of reading will be highlighted with one of their biggest events, One Book/One Town.

“During the week, we encourage the entire town to read and discuss one book,” stated organizers in a press release. “We have chosen a book about diversity called, "Whoever You Are," by Mem Fox. ”Through a generous donation form and , we have received 800 books to give to the children of Branford.”

One Book/One Town will launch tomorrow, Saturday April 21, at noon on the with announcements by , Read to Grow, Comcast and the BECC. 

On Monday evening, April 23, will read and discuss the book at the from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.  

The week of events will also incorporate the community including an afternoon with and who will talk about how different cultures eat during pregnancy. Their workshop, Pregnancy Through First Foods: Real Food for Mommy and Baby, will be held Thursday, April 26 at 2 p.m. at the James Blackstone Memorial Library.

Replicating last year’s highlight event, there will be an Art Walk for families on Thursday, April 26, sponsored by the Downtown Merchants from 3 to 6 pm.  The children of the SACC after school program will present a theatrical production of the One Book/One Town and the Branford Early Learning Center will present the town with a diversity quilt that they created.

The week ends on Saturday, April 28 with a community conversation about diversity held at form 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  

In anticipation of the event, we asked BECC co-chair Jodi Kelly about the week and what you can expect.

Branford Patch: How many years has the BECC done Week of the Young Child?
Jodi Kelly: This is our second year of celebrating the Week of the Young Child. Our hope is to make it a community wide annual event celebrating literacy.

Branford Patch: What was last year like?
Jodi Kelly: Last year,  we had about 150 kids pulling their parents around town to see their art work during the art walk.  The kids were so happy showcasing their art around town. The Merchants also commented how nice it was to see the kids looking in their windows at their art and how it really brought the community together.

Branford Patch: Looks like you've expanded things to incorporate so much more this year. How come? Did response from the community fuel that? 
Jodi Kelly: Yes, the community played a part in our decision to expand.  Our mission is to ensure that all of Branford 's youngest residents, from birth to age eight, are happy, healthy, safe and have a love of learning in school and in life.  We hope that the Week of the Young Child will celebrate these children as well as encourage literacy by introducing a new book to them, and starting a conversation about the theme of the book. 

Branford Patch: What is the Comcast/United Way's Born Learning Trail in Foote Park?
Jodi Kelly: Comcast and United Way have wanted to install a Born Learning Trail into Branford for close to a decade, but the timing and location have never worked out.  The BECC was able to put together a committee of early childhood experts who voted on the best location for younger children to have access and enjoy the trail.  They voted unanimously for .  We then approached the trustees of Foote Park who generously agreed to the installation.  The Born Learning Trail is similar to a fitness trail, with stations along a path.  However, each of the activities is literacy based and help early readers begin their journey in learning.

Branford Patch: What can people expect from the Art Walk? 
Jodi Kelly: The Art Walk is a wonderful time for families, schools, and the merchants to all come together and celebrate creativity.  This year, the children have created art work around our theme of Diversity.  Families will stroll down Main Street looking for their child's art work.  The children light up when they find their creations in one of the merchants windows.

Branford Patch: How do students get involved with the One Book One Town initiative? 
Jodi Kelly: We will  launch the One Book/One Town initiative on the Branford Town Green on Saturday April 21 at noon, in collaboration with the 's "Children Feeding Children" which begins at 9:45am.

Comcast, Read to Grow, and the BECC will give out the first set of books this day.

Every Branford elementary classroom has received one book which will be read and discussed in class.  The Branford preschool children will also receive books. Any project that the classrooms choose to do in response to the story or theme will be compiled into one book at the end of the week and this will be presented to the town on Branford on behalf of the BECC.

Children will also receive a book if they come to hear Superintendent Hamlet Hernandez read the story at the Blackstone Library on Monday April, 23 at 5:30pm.

Branford Patch: How was the book "Whoever You Are," by Mem Fox chosen? 
Jodi Kelly: The book was chosen by a committee within the BECC.  We were looking at many different stories to create an overall conversation within the community. The word, "diversity" kept popping up in different aspects of the community plan that we are writing.  Branford's demographics have been shifting over the past decade in regards to income, family size, age, and race.  We have been looking at ways to meet the needs of our community during this time, and found that communication is a large concern.  Branford has so many wonderful resources available, but many of them are virtually unknown and underutilized.  We felt that by starting the conversation, maybe we would find ways to change this lack of communication and help children to learn that we all depend on each other in a   community.

Branford Patch: Will the libraries have copies?  
Jodi Kelly: Yes, each library will be presented with a copy of the book.

Branford Patch: Will there be an event to promote the reading of this book after the week of the young child is over?
Jodi Kelly: The book will be promoted all week during readings, library events, classroom activites, and more.  We are also planning to do a follow up video on Public TV highlighting the week’s events. 

Branford Patch: What other town organizations are you partnering with?
Jodi Kelly: We are partnering with the Community Dining Room, Read to Grow, United Way, Comcast, Foote Park, The Blackstone Library, Cradelhold, La Belle Farms, The Board of Education, Branford High School, ERACE, Wallace Library, SACC, Branford Early Learning Center, The Annie Casey Foundation and the William Casper Graustein Fund.

Branford Patch: What age child do you target with this week of events? 
Jodi Kelly: We target children age eight and under and their families.  

Branford Patch: What are you looking forward to the most about this week?
Jodi Kelly: We are looking forward to haring the kids reading to their parents, learning about diversity and trying to understand what that means in their own terms.  It is wonderful to see the art work that they have created already.  

Branford Patch: How can parents stay involved in the BECC year-round? 
Jodi Kelly: Parents and community members can get involved by going to our website at www.branfordbecc.org; the calendar or events is listed on the website as well. We hope to see everyone out next week!