Let's Make April 'Month of the Young Child'

By Jenny Byxbee

As the Greenwich Youth Services Coordinator and co-chair of the Greenwich School Readiness Council, I share a passion with the Greenwich Public Schools, the United Way, and local pre-schools. It is to make sure all little ones in Greenwich come ready to learn for kindergarten.

As we head into spring we celebrate the Week of the Young Child™ which is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The purpose of the Week of the Young Child™ is to focus community attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs.

Now April is a busy month, with a spring break in between, so I would like to make April in Greenwich the “MONTH of the young child!” I have far too much to fit in all in one week!

Things to look forward to in April include a special free and open-to-the-public community workshop on Thursday, April 23 at 7 p.m. with the celebrated and well-respected author Diane Levin. Based on her newest book, Beyond Remote-Controlled Childhood, Diane’s talk will examine how growing up in a media-saturated environment can influence how and what children learn and play, as well as how the media age makes the job of parenting harder.

Screens (television, computer, tablet, or smartphone) are everywhere, available in places we would have found unfathomable a few years ago- in the car, the grocery store, a restaurant, at the dinner table, on a neighborhood walk. How can we keep children actively engaged in the real world? Diane Levin shares specific strategies parents can use to help children avoid or move beyond a remote-controlled childhood. I encourage you to please join us for the informative community event.

Although the United Way 2011 Needs Assessment reported that while 95% of Greenwich kindergartners attended some type of preschool, concerns exist about uneven learning levels and experiences of entering kindergarteners. That’s due partly to the numerous independent local programs. While educators and parents recognize that children respond differently to teaching approaches, most agree that to narrow the achievement gap and improve success rates, to be “ready to learn,” children must enter kindergarten with specific skills and experiences.

We are so fortunate in Greenwich to be surrounded by so many enriching opportunities for our children. As a mom of a pre-schooler and 2nd grader some of our family favorites include, the Bruce Museum, Audubon museum of Greenwich, the Greenwich Garden and Education Center, and all our local libraries. And that doesn’t even touch on some of our events in town. One of my all-time favorites IS the Junior League of Greenwich’s Touch a Truck every spring, and Safety Town offered by the American Red Cross. For more information on Safety Town please email or call Mary Jones at mary.jones2@redcross.org or by phone 203-869-8444 ext. 145.

I encourage readers to access the amazing services Greenwich offers by visiting Community Answers

http://www.greenwichlibrary.org/commanswers.htm, and check out the Early Childhood and Parenting Services Handbook link, or contact me at jbyxbee@unitedway-greenwich.com or 203-622-3371.

Editor’s note: Greenwich’s Youth Coordinator Jenny Byxbee writes about issues and news affecting Greenwich youths and their families. For nearly 10 years, she has been the coordinator of all youth services for the town of Greenwich, overseeing the town’s youth services bureau through a private/public partnership between the State Department of Education, the Town of Greenwich, and the United Way of Greenwich. In 2008, she received the “Community Health Hero” award from Greenwich Hospital. In 2003, while serving as the Executive Director of the New Canaan Teen Center, awarded Youth Services Worker for the State of Connecticut. She has been involved in the development of the Greenwich Juvenile Review Board, Reading Champions, The First Selectman’s Youth Commission, and the annual Greenwich Wiffle Ball tournament, and also serves as the chair to the School Readiness Council and Youth Services Council. Jenny is the mom to two very busy little girls.

Contributed photo.