Colorful Expressions: Fayette HS/EHS Children’s Art Gallery Parent Engagement Event

Families enrolled in Head Start and Early Head Start of Fayette County were invited to “Colorful Expressions: HS/EHS Children’s Art Gallery” held at the Uniontown Mall on April 8, 2025. The theme of the event was to focus on cognitive skills demonstrated to complete pieces of artwork that were displayed by each classroom and home visiting area. We also had several activities for families to do during the event as they walked through the art gallery. Prior to the event, families were provided with an in-kind activity to make a family portrait. The family portraits were on display the night of the event.  The families all did a great job as the family portraits were beautiful.

One hundred and eighteen HS/EHS staff members were present and eager to support families as they made their way through the activities. Families were greeted by staff at the doors to sign in. The families were then able to participate in various activities. The activities included movement scarves, spin art, musical instruments, bubble art, mini canvas art, program canvas art, ink blot painting, sculpting, Dust Bunny puppets and rhyming, dance move dice, sensory area, and the art galleries to view. Our School Nurses were on site to share information about proper toothbrushing, hygiene, and staying healthy. Lastly, families were offered a rainbow of light refreshments that included fresh vegetables of carrots, bell peppers, and broccoli and dip, fresh fruit of blueberries, raspberries, kiwi, bananas, and plums, cheese sticks, peperoni and salami, goldfish crackers, graham crackers, bottled water, and flavored teas and fruit juices. HS/EHS thanks United Dairy for the donation!  The families were provided with a bag upon leaving the event that included two books (The Color Monster and This Little Artist), an art kit with various supplies for painting, and playdough.

We were joined by several community agencies at Colorful Expressions. The Private Industry Council’s Youth programs, Dads Matter, and ETI were present, along with a representative from PA CareerLink. Fayette County Behavioral Health, Fayette County Community Action, Fayette County Plan of Safe Care, WQED/PBS, Laurel Highlands School District, Brownsville Area School District, and the United Way of Southwestern PA also joined in for the event. Two volunteers from Uniontown High School’s National Honor Society also attended the event.

In attendance were 101 families; 198 adults (63 being male), 86 Head Start children, 37 Early Head Start children, and 81 siblings. There were also 21 families that attended that were not enrolled in HS/EHS but invited from our community partners. Feedback from the families, included statements from parents such as “This event was very planned out!” “We had a blast! Absolutely loved it!” “This was a very fun event!” “Love everything,” and “This event was awesome!”