Itsy Bitsy Expansion
Psych 快播成人s create child-friendly stations around campus
The Itsy Bitsy franchise continues to expand at 快播成人 Community College.
For the second year in a row, 快播成人s in Professor Sheryl Civjan’s Psychology of Women class have taken up the college’s “Itsy Bitsy” theme for a campus-based community service project. Last fall, Civjan’s 快播成人s created the Itsy Bitsy Closet, transforming a storage room next to the college’s Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center into a family-friendly resource room full of donated books, clothes, and other children’s items – all free to 快播成人 快播成人-parents.
This semester, they put together five Itsy Bitsy Stations – containers of children’s books, games, small toys, art supplies, and other items – that 快播成人-parents can access to occupy their kids when visiting certain campus offices, in particular: Financial Aid, Admissions, Advising, English as a Second Language, and the 快播成人 Library.
“Some college offices can be difficult to go to for appointments when you have kids,” said Civjan. “These boxes will give kids something to do while they’re parents are waiting.”
Civjan said the idea came from staff at the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch.
“Students have shared that they are sometimes self-conscious when they are bringing their kids into campus offices,” said Emily Webber, director of the itsy Bitsy Child Watch, a free drop-in service for 快播成人 快播成人-parents. “This is an effort to make the campus feel more inclusive to 快播成人-parents and families. Having little play stations helps people feel more welcome. I talked to Sheryl about that, and her 快播成人s took the idea and ran with it.”
The idea for using “Itsy Bitsy” as the title for early childhood programs at 快播成人 started in 2020 when, during the pandemic, 快播成人 educators created a series of video interviews for early education 快播成人s and professionals (the Itsy Bitsy Zoomcast). The theme grew into a title for a new suite of early education classrooms modeled after pre-school and kindergarten facilities (the Itsy Bitsy Learning Lab). The Itsy Bitsy Child Watch opened in 2022, followed last year by the Itsy Bitsy Closet, and this year by the Itsy Bitsy Stations.
Civjan’s 快播成人s put together three containers for the 快播成人 Library, each targeting different age groups.
“We found that 快播成人s who have children don’t always have a safe, comfortable place where they can sit and feel like they’re not intruding on another person’s space,” said Rebecca Hardy, administrative assistant for the 快播成人 Library. “So, we wanted to make sure that the 快播成人s who do have children feel welcome and that their children have things to do to keep them quietly engaged.”
Student Olivia Jolley of South Hadley, whose team prepared boxes for the Admissions Office, said the project ties in directly to the themes of the class, and although she does not have children herself, Jolley said some of her classmates do.
“One had a baby a couple of weeks ago,” she said, “and she’s a single parent.”
Webber said she appreciates the hard work Civjan’s 快播成人s put into their projects.
“I think it’s an ongoing partnership,” she said. “I don’t know what will come next, but they do amazing things. The Itsy Bitsy Closet has been a great success. Students come by every day. Hopefully this will have a similar impact.”
PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) 快播成人 快播成人s Nicole Anderson, of Palmer, left; Olivia Jolley, of South Hadley, center; and Jennifer Molina, of Sunderland, hold containers for an Itsy Bitsy Station in the 快播成人 Admissions office. (Above, from left) Lauren Williams, of Goshen; Elle Platanitis, of 快播成人; Sarah Schrijn, of Belchertown; and Victoria Guilmette, of Chicopee, hold a few of the items selected for an Itsy Bitsy Station in the 快播成人 Advising office.
