There will be exciting and free opportunities throughout the week for families to learn and play together in communities throughout Connecticut. Please click on the following links to learn about some of the fun events in Branford, East Haven and New Haven! For further information about events in Hamden, please contact Sally Nutcher about the Hamden Youth Services Preschool events at 203 777-2610.

The Week of the Young Child™ 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 public attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs. The 2012 Week of the Young Child is April 22–28 and the theme is Early Years Are Learning Years®.

NAEYC first established the Week of the Young Child in 1971, recognizing that the early childhood years (birth through age 8) lay the foundation for children's success in school and later life. The Week of the Young Child is a time to plan how we—as citizens of a community, of a state, and of a nation—will better meet the needs of all young children and their families.  The Week of the Young Child is a time to recognize that children's opportunities are our responsibilities, and to recommit ourselves to ensuring that each and every child experiences the type of early environment—at home, at child care, at school, and in the community—that will promote their early learning.