‘The children deserve it’ – Week of the Young Child observed in Rowan County
Published 12:05 am Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Julie Niederkorn, a volunteer with the North Carolina Fossil Club, at right, explains what the children were looking at. Children are, bottom left, Amelia, Levi, Hayden and behind the group, at left, is Cooper. – Karen Kistler
Alexander Sanchez, left and Holden Fisher, spend some time making shapes at the Play-Doh table. – Karen Kistler
Zoey Crisp searches for just the right Legos that she wants. – Karen Kistler
From left, Susan Armstrong, program officer with North Carolina Partnership for Children; Amy Brown, executive director of Smart Start Rowan; and Denise Heinke, Smart Start Rowan’s director of Outreach and Development, pose for a photo. – Karen Kistler
Denise Heinke, Smart Start Rowan’s director of Outreach and Development, kneeling at left, welcomes the children, who were from the host church’s children’s ministry, The Children’s Space, as they enter. Caroline Stephenson, parish and family ministry coordinator, at right, escorts the children in. – Karen Kistler
Ermalyn Jaeck, lead parent educator, and Cindy Profitt, Rootle Ambassador program coordinator PBS North Carolina, chat with visitors at the mini fest. – Karen Kistler
Tania Cuevas, right, helps Mackley at the Play-Doh table. – Karen Kistler
Joseph, who was matching the theme dressed in his dinosaur shirt, checks out the fossils on the table. – Karen Kistler
Karen Kistler
karen.kistler@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — The Week of the Young Child, an annual, national event, which celebrates early learning, young children, their parents and teachers, was held April 5-11, and children and families in Salisbury joined in the celebration.
Sponsored by Smart Start Rowan and hosted by St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, located on West Council Street, a special mini fest, which featured a dinosaur theme, was held offering a fun-filled morning for children with a variety of stations for them to visit.
There were fun things spread throughout the room for the children to enjoy. As the children entered, they walked the dinosaur tracks, which were placed on the floor, and made their way to the various activities.
The stations that were available for them to participate in were building with the Legos or molding something fun with Play-Doh, getting some stickers, looking at some fossils, putting together puzzles, playing the various musical instruments, trying out the hula hoops, playing musical chairs, enjoying the theme-related snacks, watching a video of the PBS children’s program titled “Dinosaur Train” and visiting the Rootle booth with Cindy Proffitt, Rootle Ambassador program coordinator PBS North Carolina, who was on hand to share information and goodies.
Denise Heinke, Smart Start Rowan’s director of Outreach and Development, organized the event and officially started the morning by welcoming everyone to the mini fest.
“We are so excited that you’re here,” she said, after which she turned the microphone over to Salisbury Mayor Tamara Sheffield, who read a proclamation on behalf of the city council, proclaiming April 5-11 to be the Week of the Young Child in Salisbury.
Sheffield gave a shout out to Smart Start, and gave thanks for everyone who was there, which was met with cheers.
Prior to reading the proclamation, Sheffield said to the group, “we are so thankful you are here. You do so much great things for a great start for the kids here in Salisbury/Rowan County, so thank you for being here.”
The proclamation was also read in Spanish by Smart Start Parent Advocate Katherynne Hidalgo, and Jeanne LeMaster, Smart Start Rowan board chair, joined the two at the front to accept the proclamations upon completion of them being read.
“This is exciting for us,” said Heinke. “This is our second mini fest that we’re doing, this year at St. Luke’s Episcopal in downtown Salisbury. We love being able to incorporate all of the five days into one festival for the kids, which is why we have the different stations because some kids gravitate more toward one activity than another and being able to combine it all in one festival makes it something for everybody. We absolutely love doing it.”
The five days of the week that is celebrated, noted Heinke, are Music Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Work Together Wednesday, Artsy Thursday and Family Friday.
One of the tables at the fest was manned by Julie Niederkorn, a volunteer with the North Carolina Fossil Club. A variety of items were on display for the children to see with the hopes of introducing the idea of paleontology to them.
She said that even though those in attendance are very young, “paleontology is a wonderful field to be in and it doesn’t matter, boy or girl,” adding that women are really getting involved with paleontology these days.”
Niederkorn said she had been involved in it as a hobby for about 10 years and is a member of the fossil club where they hear speakers and go on field trips.
“Even if they end up not doing it as a career, it’s a fun hobby,” she said.
And at the fest they could not just see the items she brought with her, but she said, “they get to touch and see all of these,” she said, pointing out the shells, fossils and other items on the table, “and ask about what’s what.”
The fossils she brought with her, she said, were mostly items she had found including a lot of marine fossils, a whale vertebrae, part of a whale rib bone, which actually has bite marks on it from a shark, petrified wood, a megalodon tooth, plus a great white and other kinds.
Susan Armstrong, program officer with North Carolina Partnership for Children, was in the area on her annual visit with the Rowan site as she said she does annual visits with 15 partnerships throughout the year.
They discussed coordinating her trip with the Week of the Young Child, she said, and they “thought this would be a great event to come to. I was really excited to see all of it in action.”
Seeing the room full of children playing and participating in the various activities, Armstrong said, “this reminds me why I’m in this work. It’s a way to rejuvenate my spirits so I can continue to do the hard work that we have to do for young children.”
A public event, Heinke said, “it’s always a good time and I love organizing this. It’s terrific. The children deserve it.”
