Partners in Child Development

Trot for Tots weekend is here!

We would like to express our gratitude to all of our sponsors and race participants. Your participation directly supports Early Intervention Services, Anderson School, and Woodbridge School, empowering more than 2,000 local children and families.

Here is our race day schedule:
• Registration & Packet Pick-Up: 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
• 5K Race Start: 10:00 a.m.
• 1 Mile Family Walk Start: 10:15 a.m.

✨ Don’t miss our raffle featuring an autographed 2025 season, signed Celtics basketball!

Be sure to stick around for the post-event celebration with food, music, and family activities!

Location:
Partners in Child Development
32 Osgood Street, Andover, MA

Sometimes the messiest moments are where some of the best learning happens.

Messy play gives children opportunities to explore with their senses while building fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, problem-solving, creativity and confidence.

At Woodbridge School, we embrace the splashes, squishes and discoveries that come with hands-on learning. Read more: https://mypcd.org/let-them-get-messy/

Let Them Get Messy. Let Them Explore. Let Them Be Kids. - PCD: Partners in Child Development Messy play is so much more than fun. When children have the freedom to mix, pour, build, create, and explore, they are developing confidence, creativity, problem-solving skills, and a deeper understanding of the world around them. The mess may wash away, but the wonder, joy, and memories they create...

💜 A place for siblings to connect, share, and have fun.

Anderson School’s Sibshops give children ages 8–12 who have a sibling with special needs or a complex medical diagnosis an opportunity to meet other kids who understand their experiences.

Through recreational and reflective activities, participants can make connections, learn more about themselves and their siblings, share experiences, and, most importantly, have fun together.

Sibshops are free and open to siblings of Anderson School students as well as children from the local community. Anderson School, Andover, MA.

Learn more and register for an upcoming Sibshop:
https://anderson.mypcd.org/sibshops/

🌙 Sleep Tip: Give vacation sleep a trial run.

Travel often means a new sleep space for little ones. If your toddler will be sleeping in a pack-and-play or other portable setup, try it at home for a night or two before your trip. A little familiarity can make bedtime away from home feel easier.

Find more helpful sleep strategies for families in our blog:
https://mypcd.org/helping-families-by-helping-children-sleep/

So much fun with friends, exploring, learning, and playing together! ❤️

Our Toddler Playgroups offer lots of opportunities to learn through play. One day that might mean lying on the ground with a teacher and looking for shapes in the clouds. Another might mean playing hide-and-seek on the climber or working hard to make it up the climbing wall and rope climber.

Every experience helps toddlers build confidence, strengthen motor skills, practice social interactions, and discover new ways to learn about the world around them.

⭐ Our Toddler Playgroups are open to all toddlers ages 2 to 3.
Learn more: https://ei.mypcd.org/toddler-playgroups/

💜 Community support keeps the Trot for Tots moving!

We’re just over a week away from the 33rd Trot for Tots, happening Sunday, October 4, in Andover. Whether you’re running the fast, flat 5K or joining the 1-Mile Family Walk, every step helps support Early Intervention Services, Anderson School, and Woodbridge School.

👉 There’s still time to register: https://raceroster.com/events/2026/139603/trot-for-tots-5k-and-1-mile-walk
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As race day gets closer, we’re grateful to recognize our 2026 Silver Sponsors:
✨ Knights of Columbus Andover, MA Council 1078
✨ Heritage Home Services
✨ LCW CPAs
✨ Crowe & Harris, LLP
✨ SKM Title & Closing Services, P.C.
✨ For Marketing Matters

Thank you for helping make this special community event possible and supporting the children and families we serve.

🏃 The 33rd Trot for Tots is just over a week away!

Join us on Sunday, October 4, in Andover for a morning of fun, fitness, and community spirit, all in support of Partners in Child Development.

Whether you take on the fast, flat 5K or enjoy the 1-Mile Family Walk, there’s something for everyone. Best of all, your participation helps support Early Intervention Services, Anderson School, and Woodbridge School, impacting more than 2,000 local children and families.

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💜 A special thank-you to our 2026 Gold Sponsors:
Andover Pediatrics
Smith, Sullivan & Brown, P.C.
Michaud Insurance Agency, LLC

We’re grateful for their generous support in helping make this community tradition possible.
👉 Register today: https://raceroster.com/events/2026/139603/trot-for-tots-5k-and-1-mile-walk

What an amazing start to the school year at Woodbridge!

Our classrooms have been making the most of the beautiful weather by taking learning outside whenever possible. Already, we've seen students express incredible interest in cooking, outdoor gross motor play, building, superheroes, and, of course, lots of art exploration!

As a Reggio-inspired school, we believe children are capable, curious, and full of wonder. Our teachers act as researchers alongside the children, observing their interests, listening to their conversations, and noticing emerging learning schemas. From there, we thoughtfully design a play-based curriculum that reflects what the children are wondering about and eager to explore.

Along the way, we intentionally weave in opportunities for literacy, math, science, sensory experiences, and so much more. By allowing children to help lead the learning, we nurture their natural curiosity, foster a lifelong love of learning, and support growth in meaningful and exciting ways.

We can't wait to see where their interests and discoveries take us this year. Here's to a year filled with wonder, creativity, and learning!

When Emilia’s family noticed developmental concerns at 13 months old, they reached out to Early Intervention Services.

With support focused on play, communication, motor skills and behavior, Emilia made significant progress. Her family describes her today as more communicative, happy and social as she continues moving forward.

Read Emilia’s story: https://ei.mypcd.org/project/emilias-story-a-social-and-happy-little-girl/

Not a runner? Perfect. The Trot is for you, too. 👟

Our 1-mile Family Walk is interactive, family-friendly, and open to all abilities. Gather your family, friends, or team and join us Sunday, October 4, for a morning that’s all about being together and supporting local children and families.

Thank you to our Platinum Sponsors, BeaconBank and Holt and Bugbee Company, for helping make the Trot possible.

Register: https://mypcd.org/trot-for-tots-2026/