Birth to Five Illinois to Celebrate Week of the Young Child
April 3, 2026
Original coverage in the Salem Times-Commoner by Dennis Rosenberger.
Salem marks Week of the Young Child as Birth to Five Illinois and local providers host themed activities and a free Family Fun Day in Breese for families across Region 13.
Representatives from Birth to Five Illinois recently joined Salem Mayor Nic Farley for a proclamation signing recognizing April 11-17 as Week of the Young Child.
“Birth to Five Illinois is working to strengthen early childhood across Illinois by putting families first,” said Heather Pruett. “We are here to listen, learn, and work within our communities to make the system better for families and young children. We are grateful to the mayor and the community of Salem for supporting these efforts and coming together to celebrate the Week of the Young Child with us.”
According to information on the organization’s website, the mission of Birth to Five Illinois is to create a statewide regional infrastructure that will amplify input from communities in the development of policies and funding priorities and support the mobilization of communities to build and sustain equitable access to inclusive, high-quality early childhood services for all children and families in the state of Illinois.
The Week of the Young Child is a nationwide observance held in conjunction with the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). During the week, early childhood care and education programs and providers will observe special themed days with different activities for the children and families to enjoy.
The themed days this year will include Music Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Work Together Wednesday, Artsy Thursday, and Family Friday.
Brittany Gowler, with Birth to Five Illinois and Apple Tree Child Development Center in Salem, noted that Apple Tree will have some special activities for their kids and families during the week.
“On Artsy Thursday, we usually do an art project together in the classroom with families, and we usually do a family take-home activity,” Gowler said of one of the week's activities. “And on Family Friday … that is usually when we do our Easter egg hunt at Apple Tree.”
Pruett added that Birth to Five Illinois: Region 13 will also hold a Family Fun Day event in Breese on Friday, April 17, from 9 to 11 a.m., at Happy Play Company, 625 N. 2nd St.
“Anybody in our region can come to that … anybody in any of the four counties that we serve, so Marion, Clinton, Washington and Jefferson counties,” said Pruett. “We are sponsoring an open play day at Happy Play Company in Breese for families and their children to come and play for free on that day.”