Carlyle Elementary School was home to a fun-filled evening for four-year-olds on June 2. IMPACT (Intriguing Minds Parents and Children Together) has been running for six years in the Carlyle area and the impact of the evening was clearly shown by the smiling faces of those in attendance.
The program encourages early childhood development, school readiness and successful school experiences for children within the area. It does this by providing an interactive session where children can learn in a fun environment. The program is funded by the Community Initiatives Fund and CanWest Raise a Reader. These organizations funded all 16 events that were held throughout the health region this spring.
The event was free of charge to preschoolers and their families and included a number of fun and interactive stations. Smiles were seen throughout the gymnasium as children and their parents participated in a number of activities including reading stations, counting stations, crafts, games, snacks, a fish pond and an obstacle course.
The evening aimed to help parents discover new ways to help their children develop the skills needed for a successful school experience. The focus was on promoting numeracy, literarcy, gross and fine motor skills, as well as physical independence.
Not only do the children get a fun-filled evening, they were sent home with an educational package. The package included books, puzzles, Play-Doh and toys and ensured that the learning didn't stop at the end of the evening.
Children from the communities of Manor, Carlyle and Arcola were invited to the IMPACT event with a total of 26 children from the group's target group in attendance. This combined with their families and younger siblings meant a gym packed with people, laughter and learning.
Madeleine Valentine, Regional KidsFirst Community Developer, was happy with the outcome of the evening. She recognized that without the help of others, the evening would not be possible and sent out "a huge thank you to our volunteers that came out last night including Jenn Sedor, April Hutton, Krystal Fehrenbach, Anita Kehler, Breanna Kehler, and Andrew Kehler."
