In recognition of the national Week of the Young Child, Fall River Area child care provider agencies invited parents of young children to join them on May 5, 2012, at Kuss Middle School for three hours of information and engaging activities. The annual event features developmentally-appropriate activities from each of the programs in an activity "trade show" format. "This is our biggest event ever," commented Eloise Carrier of the Citizens for Citizens After School Daycare program who helps to organize the event every year. Sponsors included the Coordinated Family and Community Engagement Council, Early Child Care Providers, School-Age Programs and Community Affiliated Agencies of Fall River. Participating organizations included the ABC Preschool, Atlantis Charter School, BOLD, Boys & Girls Club, Children's Center, the Child Development Program, CFC Head Start/Early Head Start, ComCare Mental Health, Durfee Preschool Lab, Fall River Public Library, Fall River Public Schools, HealthFirst Family Care Center, John E. Boyd Center, KinderCare Learning Center, King Philip Community House Preschool, Ninth Street Day Nursery,  People Inc., Rainbow Bears Child Care Center, W.O.R.D. Inc. Child Care Center, Seven Hills Behavioral Health, St. Peter and Paul School, South Bay Mental Health,.Westport Public Schools, United Neighbors and the YMCA. Click here for pictures of the 2009 event. Click here for a video of the event. For more information about the event, contact Eloise Carrier at 508-675-2154, Ext. 221 or Barbara Allard, director of Early Childhood for the Fall River Public Schools at 508-675-8376 .
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(Top row, left) Susan Raposo, Jessica Rodrigues and Alma Resendes greet parents and children at the Kuss Middle School. (Top row, center) Danielle Holden of Swansea checks out literary resources through the Fall River Public Library. (Top row, right) HealthFirst Family Care Center medical assistant Betty Nunes provides information on their dental services while dressed as the tooth fairy. (Row two, left) Four-year-old Kaeden Paradise of Fall River gets a great view while sitting on his father's shoulders. (Row two, center and right) Event organizer and Citizens for Citizens After School Day Care director Eloise Carrier poses for the camera in front of four-year-old Kate Jodoin, her mother, Lori, and her grandmother, Joyce Raposa, director of the King Philip Preschool. (Row three, left) Seven-year-old Mason Rioux poses for a photo of him behind a wolf cut-out that Dorothy Sorel holds. (Row three, center) Angela Silveira, dressed as Snow White, helps Jamison and Faith Rego with a craft project at the South Bay Mental Health table. (Row three, right) Elaine Campbell and Barbara Brodeur of United Child World and Grace Paiva of W.O.R.D. Inc. prepare their craft table. (Bottom two rows) Tom Poitras and Vinny Lovegrove of the Toe Jam Puppet Band get the children laughing with their unique combination of antics and music.