Growing Together

By Jonah Frangiosa

» jfrangiosa@eagletribune.com

HAVERHILL — Hundreds of Haverhill kids got a hint of what next grade will look like at a community expo with teachers, principals and all.

Families flocked to Pentucket Lake School on Wednesday night for Haverhill’s sixth annual Growing Together Preschool, Kindergarten & Community Expo.

Formerly known as the Preschool Resource Fair, the expo branched out this year to include kindergarten registration, drawing a larger crowd to the event and helping parents explore more of the city’s early learning opportunities.

The Growing Together Expo is led by the Early Learning Leadership Team, a coalition of organizations including Haverhill Public Schools, Community Action, Inc., Marigold Montessori School, Haverhill YMCA and Haverhill Promise.

With all these groups in collaboration, the expo served as a one-stop shop for parents to navigate through all preschool and kindergarten options.

Decorated tables were rolled out to the school’s gym, cafeteria, and library, each staffed by representatives from schools and community organizations across Haverhill. Every principal from the city’s public schools was in attendance, eager to give insight on their school’s programs to

See EXPO, Page A2

Dianne Connolly, director of Title I and community outreach for Haverhill schools, and Lilliana Sneed, a Pentucket Lake School fifth-grader, play with an albino Burmese python, courtesy of New England Reptile Distributors and Zoo Creatures in Plaistow. The annual event Wednesday kicked off kindergarten registration in the city with 15 groups or agencies joining forces to offer an evening of information and fun, a bouncy house, zoo creatures and dinner provided by Haverhill Public Schools.

CARL RUSSO/ Staff photos

Leo Carrasco, 5, plays with a toy as his mother Judy Escalante talks to members of the Special Education Parent Advisory Council, including Secretary Zwadita Morrison, left, and Chairperson Amanda LaClair.

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probing parents.

“We wanted an opportunity to showcase all of the great early learning programs across Haverhill, and this was it,” said Tracy Fuller, executive director of Haverhill YMCA. “We’ve talked to families to see what services are important for them to have. We want to provide what they are looking for.”

Haverhill Public Schools provided a meal for the families, allowing parents to continue browsing without having to hurry home for dinner.

Cedar’s, a local food manufacturer, also donated snack packs to keep the kids well fed.

While parents listened to presentations, the youngsters had a world of fun-filled activities designed just for them. Kids bolted from the arts and crafts station, drawing and doodling left and right, to gleefully leaping around the bouncy house in the gym.

And the soon-to-be kindergarteners got an up-close look at some exotic pets—the kind that most parents would hope doesn’t prompt their kids to ask, “Can we get one?”

Reptiles, insects, and small furry friends were on display, thanks to Zoo Creatures, a Plaistow- based pet store.

Other valuable resources included free vision screenings for young children as well as Haverhill Promise providing book bags, sending kids home with their favorite literature.

The decision to move the event to a weekday with a meal provided proved to be a success, with hundreds of parents and children popping out for the expo. Children left the school building with new books and tote bags, their parents left with some options to pick from, and teachers got their first look at the zany bunch that could walk into their classroom come September.

Dozens of families attended Haverhill Public Schools’ sixth annual Growing Together Preschool, Kindergarten & Community Expo at Pentucket Lake School on Wednesday night.

CARL RUSSO/

Staff photos