When I think of March, I think of warmer weather, being outside, and flying kites. March brings us many things including spring! We have a lot of fun activities planned for the children this month.

March is National Women’s History Month. The National Women’s History Alliance is the leader in promoting Women’s History and is committed to the goals of education, empowerment, equality, and inclusion. They are “writing women back into history.” President Jimmy Carter, 1980, proclaimed March 2-8, 1980 as National Women’s History Week. “Too often the women were unsung and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built America was as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well – President Jimmy Carter 1980. Classrooms will explore and read books about important women in the world such as Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Lucy Stone, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harriet Tubman, Alice Paul, Marie Curie, Zaha Hadid, Amelia Earhart, and Frida Kahlo to name a few. Reference: National Women’s History Alliance.

March is also Irish American Heritage month. St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival. It is celebrated with parades, wearing of green attire or shamrocks. We will be here for St. Patrick’s Day this year since Spring Break is early this year. We hope to see many of you wearing green that day!

March is National Nutrition Month. CACFP Week, March 15-21, is a national education and information campaign sponsored annually the third week of March by the National CACFP Sponsors Association. The campaign is designed to raise awareness of how the USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program works to combat hunger. The CACFP brings healthy foods to tables across the country for children in child care centers, homes, and afterschool programs as well as adults in day care. Reference: CACFP.

March 20 is the first day of Spring, yay! Read this month’s article on how you can spend time outdoors with your child.

We enjoyed having so many people come and read to the children for Read Across America Day! Reading is something we should celebrate every day. Visit Read Across America to learn more about the importance of reading and book recommendations.

The titles and resources featured by National Education Association’s Read Across America include books that students can see themselves reflected in, as well as books that allow readers to see a world or a character that might be different than them.

Readers who feel included, recognized, and a part of the world are engaged readers. We hope that you’ll be able to share these recommended titles—and many others—to celebrate Read Across America in March and throughout the year. We invite you to:

1. Read books with kids and use Read Across America’s resources to daily promote the message there is room
   in our community for all readers. The world—and books—are filled with many different kinds of people.
   Getting to know them is interesting, exciting, and fun!
2. Use Read Across America to help kids enjoy and relate to what they read by linking books and reading to other experiences in their lives and on the school year calendar. When everything from your Hispanic Heritage Month celebration to the 100th day of school to the science fair to Memorial Day includes books, guest readers, activities, and conversation about reading, you raise awareness about the importance, value, and fun of reading throughout the year.
3. Make your community the place where Read Across America is on everyone’s calendar. When people make the time to read with children, children get the message that reading is important. Parents, members of your community, and local celebrities who make time to read at monthly or annual Read Across America celebrations help motivate kids to read and celebrate the diversity in their community and our country.

Classrooms have kicked off the Learn, Grow, Eat & Go! Curriculum and Walk Across Texas. To learn more about the program, please watch this video: Walk Across Texas.