Established in 1971, The Week of the Young Child™ (WOYC) is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children
, created 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.

For every dollar spent on high-quality early education, society gains as much as $16 in long-term savings. Research has proven that children who participate in high quality preschool programs are far more likely to experience greater educational achievements, strive toward higher vocational aspirations and contribute to society in adulthood. The WOYC 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.

At the Barber National Institute, we have long been invested in early childhood education. In fact, we first began our preschool programs for children with special needs in 1952.

What do we have available in 2016?

Our Pre-K Counts program is part of a statewide initiative to provide a high-quality preschool experience free of charge for children of qualifying families. Pre-K Counts is designed to assist children who may be considered “at risk” because of the family economic, language, cultural or other circumstances which may prevent the child from developing the skills necessary to enter kindergarten ready to learn.

Happy Hearts Early Childhood Program, a fully inclusive preschool, provides a state-of-the-art educational experience where all preschool children have the opportunity to learn and grow. We began this program in the early 1980s, to allow neighborhood children and children of our staff to attend preschool. Today, we serve typical children as well as children with hearing impairments and identified developmental delays. Happy Hearts is a four-out-of-four Keystone Stars Certified program and aligns with a progressive, innovative curriculum that encourages the development of creativity, self-direction, positive peer interactions and communication. Our history of providing individualized education allows us to guide each child toward his or her potential.

We also offer a specialized preschool program serving preschool-age children who require a more structured classroom environment and a higher staff to student ratio.

Our involvement with young children doesn’t end there. By partnering with organizations such as PNC Bank’s Grow Up Great program, together we help to promote and encourage all children to reach their fullest potential, while sharing the resources to help make it possible.

Our WYOC includes several fun activities, including a parade, a fair, a movie day, and even a dance – with Disney princesses!