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For the youngest students at Montgomery Knolls Elementary School in Silver Spring, every school day is celebrated as special.

Throughout the country, April 19-25 is marked as the Week of the Young Child by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Montgomery County celebrates all of April as the Month of the Young Child.

Montgomery Knolls is one of a handful of county schools with a variety of programs dedicated to providing young children with the tools they need for learning and the skills they need for life. One wing of classrooms is devoted to early childhood education classes.

There are rooms for Preschool Education Program (PEP), a program for children with developmental delays and Head Start, a program for preschoolers from low-income families. There are also pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classrooms.

"The county's early childhood programs support school readiness and help nurture the first five years of life," said Janine Bacquie, Montgomery County Public Schools director of the Division of Early Childhood Programs and Services.

Ashley Gutierrez, 5, of Silver Spring was in the PEP program last year and is now in pre-kindergarten.

"She is learning to write and read," her mother, Rosario Guiterrez, said. Guiterrez, who came to this country from El Salvador, added that she, too, is learning English through a parent education program at the school.

Ashley's brother Nestor, 8, attended the school's pre-kindergarten program and is now a second-grader at Pine Crest Elementary School in Silver Spring.

"He is doing very well, he's a good student," said Melvin Guiterrez, Ashley and Nestor's father.

The family also volunteers at the school, helping in their daughter's classroom, which illustrates the theme of this year's Month of the Young Child — "children bring communities together."

Each doorway along the bright and colorful school hall was decorated with welcoming signs April 1, following a press conference to celebrate the month. The sounds of music, chatter and lessons could be heard from the classrooms.

Elizabeth Karlson-Mitchell teaches a half-day PEP class of 3- and 4-year-olds.

"We work a lot on speech and communication," paraeducator Maureen Dollard said. "Socially it's very important for the kids to learn to interact with each other."

The students sang a jaunty alphabet song, calling out the letters as Karlson-Mitchell held them up.

"[Without this class] I don't think they would develop as quickly," Dollard said.

Kerry Schaner teaches 20 students in Head Start, a full-day program for 4-year-olds. In addition to academic readiness, the students learn life skills and socialization.

On this day they were eating lunch family style in the classroom.

"It's for socialization," Schaner said. "We switch their places so they sit next to different children. In our classroom they learn we are all friends."

After the children finished eating they cleared their trays and went to the sink to brush their teeth.

"We teach them practical skills like brushing their teeth and washing their hands before meals," Schaner said.

Kindergarten teacher Tish Worthington sees the results of early learning programs in the students who enter her class each fall.

"The ones that have been here through our programs are ready," she said. "The students who have had previous experience, who come here, fly. The ones that haven't, struggle. You can tell a big difference, they just haven't had the exposure."

Montgomery County Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring, chair of the council's Education Committee, agreed that early exposure to learning and playing helps students form a base for future learning.

"Study after study shows that this is the right thing to do for our children and community. Giving children the right start saves the county resources in the long run," Ervin said in a written statement.

The Month of the Young Child will be celebrated 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Westfield Wheaton, 11160 Veirs Mill Road in Wheaton. The event will include children's activities, music, performances and door prizes. More than 20 county agencies will offer information on services available. Call 240-777-4769.