The Early Learning Coalition of Seminole's “Celebration of Hands” Children

300 North Park Avenue,Sanford FL 32771

24 April, 2023

Description

Each year, Children's Week is celebrated in our state’s Capitol building in Tallahassee, Florida. The Capitol's rotunda is draped with a larger-than-life visual display of thousands of children’s handprints, for the annual "Celebration of Hands''. This incredible artistic display works as a representation of the children that our state’s elected officials serve, each day. The Early Learning Coalition of Seminole and the City of Sanford have come together to adopt this concept and recreate ‘The Celebration of Hands’ on a local level, but — with the same intent and purpose. The Early Learning Coalition (ELC) of Seminole asked its wonderfully dedicated Early Learning Child Care partners to have the children in their classrooms create original interpretations of their very own hands. Their hands serve as a reminder to government officials, workers, Commissioners, visitors, residents, and the general public, that the future of Seminole County's youngest learners rests in their hands. We are so thankful for the work and creations of our Seminole County Early Learning Educators. And we are especially thankful for our little learners, who with little to no direction, imaged and created this eclectic art piece. Through this project, the ELC of Seminole hopes to elevate its partnership with Seminole County and its investment in local early learning programs. We also hope to inspire the entire Seminole community to learn more about the importance of quality early learning and advocating for equitable access for all families. On March 24th, we will have an opportunity to thank the children and early educators who helped make this display possible. We will also have a brief moment for families to take pictures with Sanford's City Commissioners, Mayor, as well as the ELC of Seminole's Chief Executive Officer, (infront of the children's hand artwork display).