MIFFLINTOWN — They might be seniors now, but it wasn’t that long ago that Juniata High School students Jessica Maben, Maison Wolfe and Slone Smith were the same ages as their captivated audience.

Perhaps, that’s why the Juniata High School band members connected so quickly with youngsters in the Juniata County Early Childhood Services classrooms, sharing their love of music.

“We brought in high school band students to talk about how their instruments work and to demonstrate playing them for the kids in three different preschool classes,” Juniata High School Band Director Brad Eargle said after his students’ appearance.

Education experts believe the first years of a child’s life can lay the foundation for all future learning.

Which is why the Tuscarora Intermediate Unit No. 11 Juniata County Early Childhood Services has partnered with families and the community to create a foundation of positive interactions and experiences that give children and their families the confidence to face life’s challenges and find success in school and in life.

In Pennsylvania, 16 percent of children birth to 5 years old live at or below 100 percent of the poverty line.

“High quality early childhood programs like TIU 11 Juniata County Early Childhood Services provide important benefits to children and families that can help reduce the negative effects of poverty, detect, and remediate developmental delays, and can identify and help prevent child neglect,” explained Rob Digon, parent engagement specialist for Juniata County Head Start/Early Head Start, Pre-K Counts.

That’s one reason why Juniata County Early Childhood Services celebrated “The Week of the Young Child” last week. The annual celebration is sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the world’s largest early childhood education association.

During the week of April 6-12, TIU 11 Juniata County Early Childhood Services celebrated their children, families, teachers and staff with special displays throughout the community and special center and home-based activities, Digon said.

Monday was designated as “Music Monday,” which is where the student visit came in.

“Juniata High School Band Students visited Juniata County Early Childhood Services classrooms to share their love of music with our students,” Digon added. “Kids got to see, touch, and hear instruments up close.”

Maben brought her clarinet, Wolfe had a guitar and Smith his saxophone, along with three other members – Grace Wagner who sported her tuba, Ava Stoner had a trumpet and Lexie Gilson with a bassoon.

It was quite a start to the week, which also started with Juniata, East Juniata and Greenwood elementary students visiting classrooms, too.

Digon said each weekday had its own theme. There was “Tasty Tuesday” where kids made healthy snacks with ingredients donated by our local Weis market. “Work Together Wednesday” saw students in each classroom work together on a special class project.

Artwork from “Artsy Thursday” will be displayed throughout Juniata County at such places as Guante’s Family Restaurant, Burger King, Juniata County Food Pantry and more. It ended with “Family Friday” on April 12.

Each of the themed days focused attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs.

NAEYC first established the Week of the Young Child in 1971, recognizing that the early childhood years established an important foundation for children’s success in school and later life.

It also gives agencies, like the TIU, time to plan how the community can better meet the needs of all young children and their families.