Garden City Nursery School student's artwork on display at GC Public Library. To highlight the importance of early childhood programs, Garden City Nursery School is celebrating the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)'s "Week of the Young Child" with an art exhibit at Garden City Public Library.

NAEYC is the world's largest early childhood education association. It is sponsoring the "Week of the Young Child" April 19th-25th to focus public attention on the needs of all young children and the foundation early childhood education lays for their success in school and later life.

"We felt that an exhibit of our students' artwork would be an ideal way to spotlight education for young children," remarked Ann Amengual, Director of GCNS. "At Garden City Nursery School, we view art as a process not a product; open-ended art activities are encouraged where children can experiment with materials as they stretch their imaginations and hone developmental skills." Students are exposed to a variety of art supplies which are put out for them to use during free-choice time. The teachers then encourage creative interpretations, rather than reproductions of adult work. While art brings great joy to the children, it also lays the groundwork for future learning in areas such as writing, math, and science.

Garden City Nursery School offers a cooperative structure which permits parents the rewarding opportunity of hands-on participation in their children's nursery school experience. The involvement of parents, together with the talented and dedicated teachers and staff, is an integral component of the success of the school. Currently, there is some availability in the school's very popular Summer Program (no parental participation required) and a limited number of spots in the four-year old program starting in the Fall. For more information, please call 481-7765.