Free festival highlights needs of young children

FARMINGTON – W.G. Mallett School was crowded with children planting seeds and making rainmakers Saturday, as the Maine Association for the Education of Young Children held a festival to celebrate the National Week of the Young Child.

The free event had volunteers manning puppet shows, yoga activities and a popular, brightly-colored parachute waving in the breeze in Mallett School’s playground. Other organizations pitched in as well: Healthy Community Coalition had a healthy snack station and Head Start had a booth as well. There was also face-painting, matching games and a number of arts and crafts.

NAEYC first established the Week of the Young Child in 1971, recognizing that the early years, up through age 8, were essential to children’s success in school and later life. The Week of the Young Child marks a time to support and advocate for how the community and country can better meet the needs of young children and their families. The state branch, MaineAEYC organizes festivals for kids every year. According to organizers, it is the first festival of its kind to be held in this area.

“This is the first time we’ve done one in western Maine,” MaineAEYC board member Selina Warren said. She is also a 2nd grade teacher at Kingfield Elementary School.

The festivals, which highlight the physical, creative and scientific learning demands of young children, are typically held in southern Maine. This year, MaineAEYC scheduled five events, although the Waterville event was eventually cancelled due to the lock-in at local-area schools relating to the search for a shooting suspect.

Organizers associated with MaineAEYC are hoping to draw attention to some of the activities and skills that are part of a high-quality childcare setting. The group is supporting a bill that would increase the reimbursement for qualifying children at certified childcare service centers from the current 50 percent to 75 percent – the rate the state paid prior to the economic downturn 10 years ago. Last year, the state increased the rate to 75 percent for family child care providers, but not centers.

As a result, MaineAEYC Vice President Heather Marden said Saturday, child care centers are less inclined to accept children from economically disadvantaged families, as they might lose money. Marden said that passing LD 166 – which was approved by the Legislature and then vetoed by Gov. Paul LePage – would approve the affordability and accessibility of childcare for students. The Legislature will take up the governor’s veto on May 2.

MaineAEYC is also supporting the passage of LD 274, which would require early childhood educators to be fingerprinted, and LD 1321, which would create a consultation program that could provide guidance about challenging behaviors to early care and teachers working in public schools, child care centers and family care programs. Both bills were not advanced through the Legislature and would be effectively dead unless a special session was scheduled.