By Wyatt Boyle | KOAL News

Supporting parents and building community, the Week of the Young Child is returning to Carbon and Emery counties, Monday, April 13, to Friday, April 17. The Week of the Young Child is an event hosted by a variety of community organizations, created to get families out of the house and to educate them about community resources.

The Week of the Young Child is made up of Music Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Work Together Wednesday, Artsy Thursday and Family Friday.

“It is just a celebration of families that have young children,” Patsy Stoddard said. “It’s an opportunity to spotlight these families, young children and the things that young children need. It gives us an opportunity to celebrate the young child.”

Music Monday on April 13 kicks off the week. The first event is Music and Movement, held at 10 a.m., at the Castle Dale library. At 11 a.m., Huntington Library Storytime will be held. At 1 p.m., another Music and Movement will be held in Carbon County at the USU extension building. The final event of the day is at 5:30 p.m.: the All About Kids Day at the Carbon County Events Center.

At all about Kids Day, Stoddard mentioned, “There’ll be booths that are there that will give out information about the young child and child development and all of the resources that are available for families with young children, because sometimes families with young children can feel a bit isolated.”

Tasty Tuesday kicks off at 10 a.m. with two events. One at USU Extension, and another story time at Emery Library. At 11:30 a.m., the Elmo Library will host a story time. From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Ponderosa Grill will be serving a free hot dog dinner.

Ponderosa Grill’s sponsorship highlights community involvement in this event. Stoddard and other organizers are thrilled by their sponsorship and cooperation.

Work together Wednesday consists of story times across county libraries, taking place at 11:30 a.m. in Ferron, Castle Dale, Cleveland and Orangeville. The highlight event of Wednesday is taking place at the Emery Care Center in Ferron from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Children and elders will be paired to plant flowers at the Ferron Care Center.

“Families are invited to come to Emery Care in Ferron for a fun and engaging time focused on working, learning and growing together,” says an ad for the event. “Children and families will have the chance to participate in hands-on activities that encourage teamwork.”

During Artsy Thursday, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., the Emery Recreation Center in Castle Dale is hosting an event where children will work with a local artist to create birdhouses. The event is intended for young children, but all are welcome to join.

“Even if your children are a little bit older and they have little brothers and sisters, all of the kids are welcome to come that day and make birdhouses,” Stoddard said. 

On Thursday, a resource fair is also being held in Emery County to educate families about the resources available in the community. Candy will be handed out at certain booths.

“Tables are available for organizations supporting: Early childhood & family support; Health and wellness; Education & child care; Mental health & social services; Community programs,” said a flyer from the Castle Country Early Childhood coalition.

Family Friday rounds out the Week of the Young Child with events running all day. The San Rafael Museum in Castle Dale will offer free admission, and the Emery County Aquatic Center will offer buy-one, get-one free. The Price Prehistoric Museum will also allow free entry from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The events are intended to help more families get out of the house and into the community.

“I would just definitely encourage everyone to come to all of the activities that they’re able to,” Stoddard said, “because it just gives you a sense of community – a sense of knowing that you’re not alone in raising your children. There are a lot of people out there who are concerned and want to help and provide you with the resources that you need to get through these early childhood development years. Because it’s a tough time, it’s a joyous time, but it can be challenging.”

The Week of the Young Child begins on Music Monday, April 13, and concludes on Family Friday, April 17. For any questions concerning the Week of the Young Child, email Makayla Baldonado at mbaldonado@rucd.org or Stoddard at stoddardpatsy@gmail.com.