PASCO, WA - In a continued celebration of the national Week of the Young Child™, the ESD 123 ECEAP Preschool Program is hosting an inclusive art activity at 10 AM on Thursday, April 19 at its Pasco Early Learning Center, located at 1315 N 7th Ave. ECEAP Preschool Teacher Tammy Morgan is doing amazing work at the Early Learning Center where she introduces a new master artist to the children regularly and invites the special education students in the building to join her class. This inclusive environment encourages the acceptance and appreciation of each person.
April 16-20 is the Week of the Young Child™ - a time to recognize that children's opportunities are our responsibilities, and to recommit ourselves to ensuring that each and every child experiences the type of early environment that will promote their early learning.
For more information on Thursday's event or to attend, contact ESD ECEAP Administrator, Lisa Brouwer-Thompson, at 509.391.0364 or lbrouwer@esd123.org.
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BENTON FRANKLIN COUNTIES — During this Week of the Young Child™, April 16-20, it's time to highlight the needs of young children and their families, and to recognize the importance of early childhood programs and services in our community that meet those needs. The role of the Benton Franklin Early Learning Alliance (BFELA) is to ensure that each and every child experiences the type of early environment—at home, at child care, at school, and in the community—that will promote their early learning.
The Benton Franklin Early Learning Alliance, in partnership with Educational Service District 123, invites the community in celebrating this week long celebration of our youngest learners. BFELA will be celebrating and sharing throughout the week in its “Program Spotlights” via the Benton Franklin Early Learning Alliance Facebook page and United Way of Benton Franklin’s Facebook page. Participants are encouraged to make or do something each day and share it on the NAEYC Facebook page or post to Twitter using the hashtag #woyc18.
• Tasty Tuesday, April 17 - Healthy eating and fitness at home and school
• Work Together, Wednesday April 18 - Work together, build together, learn together
• Artsy Thursday, April 19 - Think, problem solve, create
• Family Friday, April 20 - Sharing family stories
For more information, contact ESD 123 Early Learning Coordinator Erin Tomlinson at 509.544.5759 or etomlinson@esd123.org.
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Benton City, WA – At their regular meeting on January 8, 2018 the Kiona-Benton School Board accepted the planned retirement of Assistant Superintendent Mr. Joe Lloyd. Mr. Lloyd has served the Benton City community for 36 years. He has filled many roles for the district including: high school science teacher, principal, director of technology, director of Federal and State Programs, and assistant superintendent.
Kiona-Benton’s current superintendent, Wade Haun, has decided to resign effective June 30, 2018, and to fill Mr. Lloyd’s position as Director of Federal and State Programs.
Kiona-Benton School Board Chair, Julie Rheinschmidt, stated, “Our district has been blessed to have Mr. Lloyd to guide and care for our students, staff, and community. We wish him a well-deserved, happy, and long retirement. Mr. Haun’s collaborative nature, along with our dedicated staff will provide a smooth transition for a new superintendent. The board is looking forward to conducting an inclusive search by involving our staff and community in the decision making process.”
The Kiona-Benton School District has begun the search process to find a superintendent. The school board selected Educational Service District 123 in Pasco to lead the district’s search efforts. The official vacancy announcement and position will be posted online at the end of the week, with the deadline of May 3, 2018 for interested applicants. Following screenings and reference checks, those candidates selected are expected to be interviewed during the week of May 14-18, with a decision and offer made by May 21, 2018.
ESD 123 Superintendent, Mr. Darcy Weisner, says that he is looking forward to collaborating with Kiona-Benton on their superintendent search.
“Our team recently conducted a successful superintendent search for the Columbia School District in Burbank,” Weisner stated, “and we’re looking forward to working with Kiona-Benton in their process to find another great superintendent to serve Benton City’s schools and community.”
For more information, contact the ESD 123 superintendent’s office at 509.544.5785.
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PASCO, WA - On April 7, Educational Service District (ESD) 123 with its partners in the ZERO Project will be giving away free medicine lock boxes at the Kadlec Healthplex on 1268 Lee Blvd. in Richland. We will be giving out approximately 600 lock boxes to members of the community between 8 AM – 2 PM to help reduce local use and access rates for youth prescription drug abuse.
Every day, 2,500 kids ages 12 to 17 abuse a pain reliever for the first time, and our homes are a potential access point. Many teens who abuse prescription medication gain access through the medicine cabinets in their own homes or in homes they frequent. Securing medication in a lock box can help reduce this access and subsequent use.
There will also be cable gun locks available at the event while supplies last, prescription drug take-back, and substance abuse and suicide prevention education. This event is open to the community, and anyone concerned about youth access to their unused or unmonitored medication or who wants to learn more about substance abuse is encouraged to attend.
The ZERO Project is sponsored by ESD 123, Kadlec, Coordinated Care, United Healthcare, Pasco Discovery Coalition, and Prosser Community Involvement Action Coalition (CIA). For more information, contact Dana Camarena at 509.544.5762 or dcamarena@esd123.org.
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About ESD 123: Educational Service District 123, based in Pasco, WA, is one of nine ESDs in Washington. Dedicated to delivering collaborative solutions that promote learning, ESD 123 serves 23 school districts in seven counties of Southeastern Washington. Under Superintendent Darcy Weisner and its board of directors, this legislatively mandated, not-for-profit educational organization provides efficiency of educational systems and equity of learning opportunities for over 70,000 Washington students. For more information about ESD 123, please call 509-544-5700 or 888-547-8441 or visit www.esd123.org.