SOUTH POINT — The Lawrence County Early Childhood Center asks Lawrence County, Ohio to come together for children during the Week of the Young Child, April 12 – April 16.

As part of the national Week of the Young Child celebrated across the county, Lawrence County is honoring young children and all those who make a difference in children’s lives.

The Week of the Young Child is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for Education of Young Children, the world’s largest childhood education association, with nearly 90,000 members and more than 300 affiliates.

The purpose 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 Early Childhood Center will be celebrating throughout the week with the theme “Early Years are Learning Years — Promoting Health and Wellness.” The ECC will focus on healthy habits not only for children, but also for the families.

Events for the week, coordinated by parents and professionals at the ECC, include:

Thursday: Health and Wellness Resource Fair with information regarding community resources

Friday: Cooking with parents at the Early Childhood Center. Families will make snack mix, fruit smoothies, and stir fry

Young children and their families depend on high-quality education and care, which help children get a great start, and bring lasting benefits to Lawrence County. Week of the Young child is a time to recognize the importance of early learning and to celebrate the teachers and policies that bring early childhood education to young children.

The Lawrence County Early Childhood Center, a program of the Lawrence County Board of Developmental Disabilities, along with its partner, the Ironton-Lawrence Early Childhood Academy and Help Me Grow located in the ECC, has more than 45 early childhood professionals working together to improve professional practice in early childhood education, and to build public support for high-quality early childhood education programs.

For more information about the Week of the Young Child, call (740) 377-2356 or (740) 532-7401.