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Students and educators at the Columns at the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ-Columbia.

On behalf of the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ, I am honored to recognize the 50th Anniversary of the . Hosted this year from April 10-16, the Week of the Young Child is an annual event sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the world's largest early childhood education association.

The critical work of our statewide early childhood educators has an immense impact on the research, teaching and outreach missions of the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ. They embody our enduring commitment to lifelong learning and our strong core values, while nurturing and strengthening Missouri’s communities with compassion and dedication. Even during the pandemic, our early childhood educators have stepped up time-and-again — to teach, to serve and to support. We are so grateful.

The Berkley Child and Family Development Center at the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ-Kansas City.

I want to recognize the MU Child Development Lab, the UMKC Berkley Child and Family Development Center and the UMSL Child Development Center, as well as our MU Adventure Club, and our amazing teachers and staff who support these programs and our student-teachers. I also want to acknowledge the work of our researchers who continue to grow the university’s impact on Missouri’s educational landscape. With externally funded projects, they help us improve instruction and networking, enhance the use of play in preschool classrooms, expand support for low-income students and communities, and much more.

Please join me in celebrating these and the many other contributions of our current and future educators!

Students at UMKC’s Berkley Child and Family Development Center, at UMSL’s University Child Development Center and at MU’s Adventure Club.