PEACE, Inc.’s Head Start programs are always looking for ways to integrate parents into their practice. Recently, kids were enjoying a gross motor skills class, learning all the things one can do and make with boxes. Some very imaginative parents swooped in and built a big, fun bus! Kids were delighted and that bond between home and classroom became just a little bit stronger. While the activities may be whimsical, forming and strengthening those child-parent-school bonds is serious work. It’s through these kinds of activities that we create a culture of trust and comfort where everyone benefits. This was a brilliant example of how Head Start is a whole family endeavor.

This past month must’ve been the dreariest, rainiest, muckiest May in memory. But the budding artists at Merrick Head Start were undeterred! They leaned into their creative sides, making artwork that ranged from self portrait to collage to rocks and pebbles painted to look like fruits and veggies. (We’re particularly fond of the watermelon!) The resulting Art Expo – open to the public – was a huge hit, delighting a great many visitors who were otherwise soaked by the incessant precipitation. What a colorful, welcome relief to a grey day. Special thanks to Ms. Jessica and Ms. Lashantay for making this expo happen!

PEACE Inc.’s Merrick Head Start brought the outdoors indoors! While the last month has been unseasonably rainy, that didn’t stop our teachers from facilitating an outdoors experience inside their classrooms! Kids got to huddle inside a tent and practice their s’mores technique over a very safe fire — ingeniously made of red and orange tissue paper. They also observed their classroom cocoons start to split and butterflies emerge. The day piqued the kids’ inherent curiosity about nature and everyone had a ball. Thank you teachers for always leaning into your imagination to create these wonderful experiences for our kids!