Young children are the future of the City of Troy, of this state and of this nation.

Troy Mayor Jason A. Reeves shared that truth with the children at Troy Head Start on Tuesday.

“Did you know that you are our future?” the mayor asked and smiled when the children said “yes” they know.

Reeves visited the Troy Head Start center on Tuesday and read, to the children, the proclamation declaring the week of April 24-29 the Week of the Young Child in Troy.

“You are very important,” Reeves told the children. “You are the foundation on which we build our future. You are not important just this week but all the time.”

The Week of the Young Child is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children celebrating early learning, young children, their teachers and families.

Wanda Moultry, OCAP executive director, said, at Troy Head Start, young children are celebrated every day.

“At Troy Head Start, every day is the day of the young child,” she said.

“Here, we provide the quality of education that prepares our children to begin kindergarten and the transition into public school. Our staff does an excellent job and we greatly appreciate and celebrate them as well.”

Dorsey Fayson, center manager, said the Head Start curriculum includes letter, color, shape and number recognition, as well as social skills that prepare the young children for kindergarten.

Troy Head Start has 114 students, ages three to five, which is the maximum number for the center. Harriet McFarlin is the Troy Head Start director.