Week of the Young Child celebrates young children and their caregivers and helps increase awareness of early childhood.

Week of the Young Child

April 6th - 12th, 2024

Help us spread the word! Use the links below to print or share our flyers.

  • Bags with Books and Resources

    The ECC will give away 2,000 bags with a book and resources to preschoolers around town.

    Do you want a bag for your young child? Join us at the Kickoff Event or Reading in the Rotunda!

    List of events

  • Kickoff Event

    Saturday, April 6th, 2024 from 10 am to 2 pm at Rocky Mountain Development Council and the Lewis and Clark Library. Weather permitting, we will be outside on the walking mall between the two buildings. There will be fun activities for children, resource tables with organizations from the community and health and wellness screenings for children available.

    The screenings will be done by qualified individuals from Head Start, Early Head Start, Family Outreach, and the School District:

    • Developmental Screenings include: Speed Dial-4 for 3-5 year olds and ASQ for 0-3 year olds

    • Behavioral Screenings include: ASQ-SE for 0-5 year olds

    • Literacy Screenings for kids who are going into kindergarten and turn 4 year old by Sept. 10, 2024

    • Growth, vision and hearing

    The first 100 children through the screening will get a “developmental pack” full of fun things for you and your little one to use together!

    Kickoff event info

  • Reading in the Rotunda

    Wednesday, April 10th, 2024 from 9 to 11 am at the Montana State Capitol Building in the Rotunda. There will be local celebrities reading to the children, activities for children, and a small resource fair. This event is geared towards children ages 0-5 and their caregiver(s). Let us know if you are interested in any of the following:

    • Would you or someone you know like to read to the children?

    Let us know you want to read

  • Cardboard Dolls

    Look for our cardboard cutout dolls between April 1st and 15th, 2024 at local businesses who support early childhood. Each doll is unique and is holding a sign with information about early childhood and a blue pinwheel for Strengthening Families Month.

    • Do you want to display a doll to show your support for early childhood? Let us know!

    Request a Doll

  • Activities

    Schedule for the week:

    • Kickoff Saturday: Kickoff Event with health an wellness screenings an fun activities for families

    • Self-Care Sunday: Offering for Loss Parents

    • Music Monday: Music Class with Music Together

    • Tasty Tuesday: Harvest of the Month at Lewis & Clark Library

    • Work Together Wednesday: Themed Early Explorer Classes at Exploration Works

    • Wednesday: Reading in the Rotunda

    • Artsy Thursday: Art class with the Holter Museum of Art

    • Family Friday: Free admission to the Holter Museum of Art with option to do some art projects with your little one

    …and many more classes, events, and activities!

    Full list of events

  • Discounts

    Certain businesses have generously chosen to give discounts or offer something special to children and/or their caregivers from April 6th - 12th to encourage families to spend time together and enjoy what Helena has to offer.

    Some of the participating businesses:

    • Big Dipper

    • ExplorationWorks

    • Image Dancing

    • Loft Helena

    Full list of deals and events

More information

  • 90% of a child's brain develops by age 5. The experiences a child has early in life impacts how their brain develops, which influences their ability to learn in school and how they will function as an adult.

  • Last year, we had businesses host our cardboard dolls who held signs with facts about early childhood and a blue pinwheel for Strengthening Families Month. This year, we have expanded and you can be involved in any of the following ways.

    • Host a cardboard doll for the week

    • Provide a discount to children/families - either for a day or for the week

    • Offer an activity or class for children/families

    • Provide printed materials - or a small item - to put in our Week of the Young Child bags we give out to preschool children (2,000 of them)

    • Help us stuff bags on March 20th

    • Table at the kickoff event on Saturday, April 6th and provide resources and/or fun activity for children/families.

    Our audience is children 0-8 years old but even if you don’t specifically work with that age of children, we can still be creative in how we show our community we support our children and those who raise them. Reply and let me know how you’d like to be involved this year. We are open to more ideas than just this list. Reach out and we can chat more.

    Email Maureen at mbjerke@sphealth.org or call/text her at 406-461-4449.

  • Visit National Association for the Education of Young Children's (NAEYC) website to learn more about the national Week of the Young Child.