From Caterpillars to Butterflies

“I like butterflies, I like butterflies, and I hope you like them too!” This was the chant CYC-Epstein’s Early Learning graduates adopted for their transition ceremony on a sunny Friday morning. As each participant marched down the ramp to greet family, friends, and staff, their words rang even louder above the sounds of applause and cheers.  

Clad in her favorite butterfly shirt and mask, Child Care Director Tanya Staggers led the ceremony, first noting how grateful she was that everyone was able to safely attend in person, and gather together after a trying year. With the sun in the sky and butterflies all around, fifteen Early Learning youth celebrated their transition into either the second stage of preschool or kindergarten. 

To kick off the ceremony, and continuing with the butterfly theme, student Michaela sang “I Believe I Can Fly”, and Anthony read a poem. Fellow classmate Alana addressed the audience and thanked her parents and family for supporting her on this special day. She couldn’t resist running into the crowd to give her family members a quick hug. 

Each child stood up proudly and shared their name, age, and whether they were moving into kindergarten or the next stage of preschool. They were then invited to collect their certificate, and a brand new backpack filled with back-to-school goods to start their journey. Lead Teacher Tonnette Johnson led the entire graduating class in a celebratory dance, setting the perfect mood for a day filled with laughs and smiles. 

After honoring each child, Ms. Staggers gave heartfelt recognition to her Early Learning team as well as all the family members, caregivers, and friends in the audience. “As a team, we always work together. Our preschool teachers are teachers. They nurture. They have compassion.” 

CYC’s Early Learning program enables children to develop the cognitive and social-emotional skills needed to persist in school. Ms. Staggers and her expert team deliver a structured curriculum, complete with literacy and STEM enrichment, creative arts, and language development, ensuring each child is prepared to enter the next phase of their academic journey.  

Ms. Staggers has noted that many of her returning families have shared their positive kindergarten experiences, saying that teachers have identified how prepared students from CYC are when entering school, and some are even further ahead than their classmates. Several CYC alumni were present at the Butterfly graduation ceremony, and shared that they had little ones that would be entering the program next year.  

The ceremony concluded with refreshments for the families, while the Butterfly class enjoyed lunch together in their classroom. Each child was given a shirt that read, “We came as caterpillars and left as butterflies!”. Their transformation was clear and needless to say, we LOVE our Butterflies.

If you would like to support CYC’s transformative programs, you can make a donation here.