Tots Are ‘Hoppy’ To Help

By Larissa Lytwyn

Preschoolers at Merryhill Child Care Center love to hop — and they were especially “hoppy” to do it for a good cause!

“We were approached a few months ago by the Muscular Dystrophy Association of America (MDA) to adopt their Hop-A-Thon Program,” explained co-teacher Susan Tarshis. “We could help raise money for children with muscular dystrophy. All of the materials would be provided by MDA.”

Although centering on muscular dystrophy, Ms Tarshis believed the curriculum was broad enough to foster the children’s development in acquiring values including empathy and acceptance of others.

The materials taught children how to interact with peers who may have physical disabilities as well as various equipment including wheelchairs, crutches, and braces.

At the end of a lesson, children reflected on “this week I learned that,” for example, “everybody is different, nobody is perfect…but all of us are special.”

Another affirmation declared, “Our bodies are amazing and can do lots of things,” noting “every person has different abilities.”

Children also learned that “there are many kinds of disabilities. People don’t have disabilities because they are bad or lazy. You can’t ‘catch’ a disability the way you catch a cold.”

The children recorded their hops on a special chart; each hop earned a 10-cent donation toward the MDA campaign.

“The children have had a lot of fun doing it,” Ms Tarshis noted with a smile. “Parents had the opportunity to donate as well.”

In conjunction with the campaign, former Merryhill parent Christine Huhn visited the class with her now-8-old-son, Michael, who has cerebral palsy.

“The children were able to interact with Michael and try on his leg brace, as well as his wheelchair,” said Ms Huhn. “The children were very interested and enjoyed trying out the different equipment.”

Michael, she added, loved the experience. “He’s very social,” she said.

She described the campaign as a “wonderful program.”

“It really helps children learn how to be more open and accepting of others,” she said.