December in the Administration Building just wouldn’t be the same without the annual holiday sing-along, which took place this year on Dec. 5. The four-year-olds who attend the Colorado State University Early Childhood Center take a field trip each year to the Oval to sing for President Tony Frank.

The children were accompanied by their teachers, and additional support was provided by interns and practicum students from the Department of Human Development and Family Studies who have spent the semester at the ECC learning about best practices in early childhood education.

The children selected the songs to sing through their interest-based curriculum, and practiced with their teachers for several weeks leading up to the visit. Many family members, as well as CSU faculty and staff, were on hand to share in the concert as the children sang some of their favorites, including “Jingle Bells” and “You are my Sunshine.”

This year, the kids’ preschool teacher wrote to Frank on behalf of the class about their excitement and nervousness for the sing-along. Frank wrote back with some advice for the preschoolers: “Please don’t be nervous about the sing-along; I’m sure you will do your best and that is all that anyone can expect of any of us. Be proud of yourselves and know that all of us in the Administration Building just look forward to seeing you and your families.”

At the event, Frank said, “On behalf of all of Colorado State University, thank you so much for coming over, and to you parents, thank you for sharing these precious kids with all of us. To the teachers as well, thank you.”

The CSU Early Childhood Center is housed in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies in the College of Health and Human Sciences, and has been a training site for CSU students since 1929. The ECC is open year-round and provides high-quality early childhood experiences for children ages 6 weeks to 6 years.

To view photos of the event, visit the College of Health and Human Sciences Flickr site here.