Week of the Young Child – April 23-27, 2007

"Children's Opportunities – Our Responsibilities"

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.

The Week of the Young Child is an opportunity for programs, NAEYC Affiliates, related organizations, communities, and states to focus on the needs of young children and their families. There are countless ways to celebrate the week, which is first and foremost a grassroots effort.

The Week of the Young Child is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the world's largest early childhood education association, with over 100,000 members and a network of nearly 450 local, state, and regional Affiliates.

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.

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.