The Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) program is going to the movies at The Grand Theatre on Monday, February 28th, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. for a fun, child-friendly movie. The doors open at 4:30, with it being a free entry to families with children ages birth through five with concessions available for purchase at the Theatre. The movie itself has yet to be determined, but the program is looking for a child-friendly one that’s a little active has some singing or dancing in it for the children. Masks are recommended but not required to come and be a part of the event.
The Crookston Early Childhood Family Education program is led by many of Crookston’s teachers and school principals. ECFE Coordinator Gina Gunderson explained the basis behind the program and ideology behind the organization, “The Early Childhood Family Education program is based on the idea that parents provide their child’s first and most significant learning environment and parents are their first and most enduring teacher’s. ECFE works with parents and caregivers to support, strengthen, and empower families,” The program frequently collaborates with Crookston’s Public Schools, City Hall, and the Crookston Library for many of their events around town.
Gunderson is very excited to try this new event again for families and hopes that they will come out to enjoy the movie theater experience, “A few years ago, we took ECFE families to the movie theater, and it was a really great experience. For many of them, it’s their first experience in a movie theater. So please, don’t feel nervous about bringing them, if they’re talking, if they’re moving, that’s totally fine,” The event had been canceled the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but she now hopes to make this a yearly event and apart of their monthly activities they hold throughout the year.
ECFE holds multiple events for the children each month called Monthly Childhood Events. One of those events is at the Crookston Library for the Celebrate the Young Child Collaboration’s Event: Imagine if you Were “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” on Tuesday, March 1st, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Another is the Early Childhood Screening event held in Crookston Public Schools on March 7th and 8th. Later in the month, they will be attending the March Musical Madness concert performed by the 5th and 6th-grade Orchestra, where they can participate in an interactive concert. And in April, the group will go to the town pool to swim and be apart of the Washington School’s End of the Year Picnic at the end of the school year on Monday, May 16th.
Doors open at the Grand Theatre at 4:30 p.m., and the movies begin at 5:00 p.m. Entry is free for families with children birth through five. Families can buy concessions at the theater. Masks are recommended but not required to come and be a part of the event. For more information on ECFE and the schedule for their upcoming events for the year, you can contact Gina Gunderson at 218-281-7385 or at ginagunderson@isd593.org or go to https://www.crookston.k12.mn.us/departments-communityeducation-ecfe and click on their Winter/Spring Newsletter.
