MOULTRIE, GA. Ring toss , picture booth , candy corn races and Jello digs. It sounds like the typical fall festival seen at many locales this time of year. However in their study of child development at Moultrie Technical College as part of the Early Childhood Care and Education program, students see these activities as so much more.

Donning their cat-like animal print costumes, Colquitt County Pre-K student Autumn Crawford, right, and her little brother enjoy the bean bag toss at the Fall Festival sponsored by the Moultrie Technical College Early Childhood Care and Education students on October 31, 2007.

According to MTC program instructor Kathryn Kent, “Eye-hand coordination , gross motor skills , balance and sensory exploration are all part of the physical development of young children. Students enrolled in the Music and Movement course learn the value of movement in child development cognitively , emotionally and creatively as well as physically. They learn to plan age-appropriate experiences incorporating the needs of the children.”

The Pre-K center located on Moultrie Tech’s Veterans Parkway campus in Moultrie is part of the Colquitt County School System. Its location offers MTC students the opportunity to interact with three- and four-year-olds and apply the skills learned in their own classroom.

At the center’s Fall Festival sponsored by MTC’s Early Childhood program on October 31 st, families of the Pre-K children were welcome, providing an opportunity for the parents to see their children in action and meet their teachers.

For more information on the Early Childhood Care and Education program at Moultrie Technical College, log on to www.moultrietech.edu or contact Kent at 229.217.4179.