What your child experiences at MECK Pre-K | | |
Hands-on learning at MECK Pre-K often happens during center time, when children choose activities that spark their interests. Classrooms are intentionally designed with learning centers — such as dramatic play, art, blocks, science, and literacy — where children can explore materials, solve problems, and collaborate with peers.
Through these experiences, teachers guide learning by observing, asking questions, and extending children’s thinking, helping them make connections while staying engaged.
Continue reading our blog about hands on learning at MECK Pre-K here!
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🌟 You'll Be Amazed! 🌟
Do you have a child that turns 4 on or by August 31st? Learning at MECK Pre-K is hands-on, sensory-rich, and full of discovery. From creative play to early literacy and mindfulness lessons, every day is designed to help children grow, explore, and learn.
| | Is your child not old enough for pre-K? | | MECK Pre-K in the Classroom | Check out some pictures from the classroom! | | Students learn about butterflies. They also sometime watch them grow from their worm stage all the way to the butterfly stage and release them once they're ready to fly! | | Students visited the Bechtler Museum. We appreciate our partnership with the Bechtler Museum! They always show our students a good time and lots of great art. | | Students went on a scavenger hunt to look for different kinds of insects. Try this activity at home! Students love looking for different kinds of insects and learning about them! | | Become a MECK Pre-K Teacher! | | |
MECK Pre-K teachers and assistant teachers receive the same pay as Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) educators. They also receive health insurance, retirement benefits, and a consistent schedule with built-in planning and organizational time. MECK Pre-K educators also have professional development opportunities, ongoing support from success coaches, and a high-quality curriculum to follow. Learn more on our careers page!
| | Important Community Updates | | Do you have important community updates? | |
Have something to share? We’d love to hear from you!
Our goal with our bimonthly newsletter is to keep our communities connected and informed, and your contributions help make that possible. Whether it’s an upcoming event, important county news, a helpful resource, or information that could benefit parents and families, we want to highlight it. Together, we can make sure our community stays engaged, supported, and up to date.
Send info to outreach@smartstartofmeck.org
| | Eat Ice Cream and Support Smart Start | | |
Ice Cream Social Fundraiser
Date: April 22
Time: 4-7 pm
Where: 4203 Park Rd., Charlotte, NC 28209
With the weather heating up, what better way to spend an evening out than with ice cream? 25% of all in-store sales from 4-7 PM on Wednesday, April 22nd will be donated back to SSMC!
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April 11-17, we recognized Week of the Young Child™, an annual celebration of early learning, young children, their teachers, families, and communities led by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Here are some fun ways we celebrated!
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Music Monday: Singing, dancing, celebrating, and learning. Through music, children develop language and literacy skills – all while having fun and being active!
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Tasty Tuesday: Cooking together and connecting math with literacy skills and science while introducing ways to incorporate healthy habits into children’s lifestyles.
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Work Together Wednesday: When children build together, they experience teamwork and develop their social and early literacy skills.
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Artsy Thursday: Children develop creativity, social skills and fine motor skills with open-ended art projects where they can make choices, use their imaginations, and create with their hands.
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Family Friday: Sharing family stories. Engaging and celebrating families is at the heart of supporting our youngest learners. NAEYC applauds the role of family members as young children’s first and most important teachers.
It's never too late to celebrate. Use this schedule to have a fun week with your child!
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The Basics Mecklenburg:
The Breastfeeding Basics
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Support for New Parents in the Early Days
Date: April 29th
Time: 10:30am
Where: 601 E. 5th ST Charlotte, NC 28202
Join The Basics Mecklenburg for a warm, judgment‑free class created to support you during the earliest days of parenting. Grounded in The Basics Framework, this session focuses on building strong, responsive relationships with your baby while also supporting caregiver well‑being during the postpartum period. We’ll talk about what’s normal in the early weeks, explore common breastfeeding challenges and practical solutions, and share important information about your rights when returning to work. All caregivers are welcome—come as you are and connect with others on the same journey. Register here or by clicking on the flyer. Space is limited.
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ImaginOn will host its annual celebration of El día de los niños/(Children’s Day/Book Day) on April 25, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM. Día is a nationally recognized initiative that honors all children, their languages, and cultures by connecting them to books, literacy, and libraries. Celebrated across the country and culminating annually on April 30, Día fosters a love of reading while celebrating diversity and promoting community resources for families year-round. We hope to see our MECK Pre-K families there!
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The NC Science Festival is celebrating science and technology all over North Carolina in April. You can participate in a variety of events-for adults and children- throughout North Carolina by checking here. The festival encourages and energizes everyone in pursuing careers in science and technology through fun activities.
| | Smart Start supports families to improve early childhood health, education and development - all to help ensure that children turn five ready to thrive. | | You are receiving this message because you are a friend or partner of MECK Pre-K. We hope you find this information useful. If you wish, you can unsubscribe at any time using the link in the footer below. | | | | |
