After having to pause their early childhood education event last year, Corazón Healdsburg’s preschool fair by Corazón Healdsburg. The 4th annual preschool fair will be happening this Saturday, March 5 from 10 a.m. to noon. It will be held in the outdoor courtyard of the Healdsburg Community Center.
The fair is organized in partnership with Healdsburg Community Services and through sponsorship of Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County and the American Association of University Women, Healdsburg Branch.
“Early childhood education is the first step toward reaching long-term educational goals for children in our community, and preschool is a vital piece of the puzzle to achieve our shared goal to foster children’s development at an early age, so that all children in northern Sonoma County are prepared for kindergarten,” said Marcy Flores, Corazón Healdsburg’s associate director of academic development, in a statement. “This preschool fair demonstrates and expresses this importance to our local families, our partners and the wider community. We’re thrilled once again to be able to offer this live event to families here.”
Preschools and daycare agencies will be on hand to meet families and share information. Participants will include Healdsburg Community Nursery School, Healdsburg Montessori, 4Cs Sonoma County, Little Lambs Preschool, Live Oak Preschool, North Bay Children’s Center, Pine Tree Preschool, Windsor Preschool Programs and Angel’s Daycare and Little Birdies Daycare.
Healdsburg Elementary School will be promoting and signing up students for its transitional kindergarten program. Recently passed California legislation calls for universal transitional kindergarten for all 4-year-olds by the 2025-26 school year.
“I am looking forward to this preschool fair to support families in learning about the early childhood education options for their children as they speak to providers first-hand, and receive additional education and community resources through our partners,” states Caroline González, Corazón Healdsburg’s early childhood education coordinator. “This is a family event full of fun activities for children!”
According to a press release, at the event, each provider will offer hands-on, interactive activities for children to participate in, as well as bilingual (English and Spanish) information for the community.
There will be children’s activities, prizes and a storytime with Healdsburg Elementary School librarian Greta Mesics. In exchange for a completed “passport” marked by each preschool provider, there will be a raffle of five gift baskets that include school supplies, children’s books, Play-Doh kits, education activities, planter kits, and passes from the Sonoma County Children’s Museum and Sonoma County Regional Parks, and certificates from Amy’s Wicked Slush and Colores Artisan Ice Cream.
A number of key community organizations will also be offering resources to attending families, including registration for monthly book deliveries from the Healdsburg Rotary Imagination Library, food boxes for families from the Redwood Empire Foodbank and in-home safety kits for families with young children from the Santa Rosa Memorial Regional Trauma Center. Other partners planning to attend with resources include: Community Action Partnership Head Start, First 5 Sonoma County, Pasitos Playgroup, Sonoma County Library BiblioBus, Sonoma County Children’s Museum, Alliance Medical Center, Sonoma County Regional Parks, Nuestra Comunidad and Immigration Institute of the Bay Area.
Meanwhile, Healdsburg Community Services and a selected committee are in the final stages of selecting a new preschool provider to fill two classroom spaces at the Healdsburg Community Center to offer additional preschool options for the community.
“This is a huge investment and step in the right direction in providing greater access to affordable and quality preschool opportunities in Healdsburg,” said Flores.
For more information, please contact Corazón Healdsburg at 1-888-CRZN-HBG (1-888-279-6424).
