Wheaton area families with young kids invited to 'Day of Play'
Wheaton-area families with children 5 and younger are encouraged to learn more about early childhood education options during the Wheaton Warrenville Early Childhood Collaborative's second annual Family Day of Play this weekend.
"It will be a really fun day for some of the youngest kids in our community," said Erica Loiacono, Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200's director of public relations.
The free event runs from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at Hubble Middle School, 3S600 Herrick Road in Warrenville. It is an open house format that will allow children, parents, grandparents, caregivers, teachers and other community members to stop in at any time during the morning.
Loiacono said children will have a chance to participate in several activities during the event while parents receive helpful information about different preschool options and other resources.
"One of the bigger motivating factors of hosting the event is to celebrate the success of the early childhood collaborative," she said.
The collaborative consists of several community agencies, such as Easter Seals and Metropolitan Family Services, and several early childhood education providers, such as the Wheaton Park District and District 200's Jefferson Early Childhood Center, that are working together to improve kindergarten readiness for children in District 200.
Early childhood education providers that will be on hand to discuss their offerings include Jefferson Early Childhood Center, Wheaton Park District, Wheaton Bible Church, First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton, Giant Steps Autism Organization, Head Start and the YMCA.
One of the collaborative's main goals is to increase access to early childhood education services to under-resourced areas of the community.
It also hopes to improve communication among early childhood service providers and increase parent education about child development needs - two goals that will be addressed with the Day of Play.
"We've asked every partner organization that's coming to have some type of fun activity for kids that shows the importance of learning through play," Loiacono said.
That includes finger painting, dancing, book readings, a portable museum exhibit from the DuPage Children's Museum, nature themed activities from Lincoln Marsh and a chance to play on a Wheaton Fire Department truck.
"Some families need examples for how to play with their kids to learn," Loiacono said. "We're here to provide examples."
Loiacono added that the district feels it is important to bring awareness to the benefits early childhood education provides to kids not only now, but also in their future.
Aside from the activities for children, dental screenings from the DuPage County Health Department and other developmental screenings will be provided on-site too.