WHATELY — Looking to promote social and creative growth in children, the Union 38 Family Network is hosting a Herlihy Park Pavilion Playgroup Summer Series each Wednesday through Aug. 11.
The playgroup is open to families in the Union 38 School District with children under 5. It meets at Herlihy Park at 10 a.m. each week and is weather-dependent.
The program is funded by a Coordinated Family and Community Engagement (CFCE) grant. Amy Battisti, CFCE coordinator for the school district, said the playgroup series is designed to bring the school communities together.
“The goal is for parents to meet each other, kids to meet each other,” Battisti said, “and kids learning to share.”
This week’s session was the first of the summer series. Battisti said she was happy to invite families to participate.
“It’s actually a really good feeling (to be back),” Battisti said. “It’s really important we’re doing something to reach out.”
Battisti said the Herlihy Park Pavilion Playgroup Summer Series is geared toward younger children, but the Union 38 Family Network hosts general play sessions at the Whately Elementary School playground each Monday and story walks at the Sunderland Public Library each Friday.
Each event is held outdoors as a precaution against COVID-19 and Battisti said organizers want to keep holding outdoor activities, such as nature walks, even when the pandemic has subsided.
“We sort of had to grow. We’ll always try to do outside events now,” Battisti said. “We have a group of very committed adults who made a nice unit.”
Parents and caretakers must RSVP for the weekly playgroup as a way to provide contact information and manage attendance numbers. Battisti said these COVID-19 health safety precautions add more planning to the playgroup sessions, but she is happy to do it.
“It’s baby steps. It takes a lot more planning than it used to, but it’s worth it,” she said. “Families are happy to be safe.”
To start the playgroup this week, the children gathered around CFCE specialist Emily Dattilo as she read them a picture book. After circle time, the youngsters washed their hands and began creating chalk paint, which they used to paint their picnic tables, the pavilion’s walls or even their own hands.
After cleaning up, the children sat down one more time and sang “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” before Dattilo read one more story to them.
Missy Novak, a South Deerfield resident and Frontier Regional School District School Committee member, brought her children. She said Union 38 Family Network events give the kids a “safe way to interact and be social.”
“It’s great to have these events,” Novak said. “Both through the pandemic and preschool, it’s a nice way to keep them active.”
Novak said Battisti does a great job bringing the community together and she is invaluable to the school district.
“If you’re new in town and had a kid, Amy would reach out to you,” Novak said. “She’s a great resource to the community.”
Families interested in attending the next Herlihy Park Pavilion Playgroup Summer Series playgroup are advised to email Battisti at amy.battisti@frsu38.org. The Union 38 Family Network Facebook page has additional information as well.
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.