Children Celebrate Music through the Ages at the Ulster BOCES Child Care Center Open House

Young children swirling around in poodle skirts at a 50’s style soda shop, grooving to disco music at an 80’s dance party, and singing their hearts out into microphones—while you may think it was a scene from a television talent show, it was a real live rockin’ good time at the Ulster BOCES Child Care Center’s annual Open House where the pre-school children had a fun time laughing and singing as they celebrated American music through the ages at the Center’s “Music and Movement Day.”

Children, their parents, and grandparents, as well as Child Care Center staff and Career & Technical Center Early Childhood Education program students, celebrated the end of the school year with various musical activities ranging from reading books about music to playing real instruments; creating rainsticks (from paper towel tubes), tambourines (from paper plates) and decorating wooden maracas; dancing to “Kidsongs” videos; and even some young “DJing” with microphones!

“All of the children had a chance to participate in dance, making their own instruments. A variety of music was played, and the parents and grandparents all seemed to have a fun time, and enjoyed seeing how each of the classrooms interpreted the music theme,” notes Kristi Cusa, coordinator of the Ulster BOCES Child Care Center. “The adults also have an opportunity during this event to see how age-appropriate activities are designed and implemented. Music plays a very important role in the lives of young children in that it is a basis for socialization, promoting language development, creativity, and coordination. Music has a strong connection to the development of math concepts such as counting, and fractions (parts to whole concepts). Music is universal to all children and is a creative outlet which allows children to explore their world through movement as well as through dramatic play.”

Following the musical extravaganza, a recognition ceremony was held for seven students who will be entering kindergarten and one who will be entering universal pre-k in 2008.

The Ulster BOCES Child Care Center, accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), provides high quality early education services for children from eight weeks to five years old. Clients include children of Ulster BOCES students enrolled in the Parenting Teen and Adult & Continuing Education programs, Ulster BOCES employees, and the general community. The Center also serves as a hands-on learning environment for high school students interested in pursuing careers in the childcare field. In addition to studying early childhood education in the traditional classroom setting, students enrolled in the two-year program are given the opportunity to see the methods and techniques of professional childcare providers, as well as gain actual experience while working with the children themselves.