W.C. Handy Early Childhood Development Center

08/20/2026

08/18/2026

💙🦅 Learning Is Happening Everywhere at Handy! 🦅💙

What a busy Monday for our littlest Falcons! ❤️ From PE and movement to read-alouds, centers, measurement, building, art, dramatic play, books, science exploration, and hands-on learning, our students were actively engaged throughout the day! 📚🎨🏀🔢🔍

One of our favorite things to see is our teachers right there in the learning with their students—on the carpet, at the tables, asking questions, having conversations, encouraging exploration, and building relationships. Those everyday interactions are where so much important early learning happens! 🌟

At Handy, play has a purpose! Through play, our children are developing language, early literacy and math skills, creativity, problem-solving, independence, social skills, and a love of learning.

A great Monday of learning, playing, exploring, and growing together! 💙

We Are Falcons. We Are Learners. We Are Family. 🦅

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08/18/2026

🎉 Celebrating Our Amazing Educators! 🎉

Please join us in congratulating Ms. Nichols and Mrs. White on completing their Level 1 Child Development Associate (CDA) Apprenticeship as Early Childhood Educators! 👏💙

We are so proud of their hard work, dedication, and commitment to growing professionally while providing the very best for our littlest Falcons. 🦅

Their accomplishment is a wonderful example of what it means to be a lifelong learner and to invest in excellence in early childhood education.

Congratulations, Ms. Nichols and Mrs. White! We are proud of you! 🎓✨

08/09/2026

🍎 What a great way to end our first week of school! 💙

A huge THANK YOU to First Metro Bank of Florence for providing Chick-fil-A meals for our entire Handy staff on Friday! 🐔❤️ After a busy and exciting first week with our littlest Falcons, this thoughtful gesture was such a wonderful treat.

We are incredibly grateful for community partners who support our school and show appreciation for the people who pour so much into our students each day. Thank you, First Metro Bank, for helping us end our first week on such a special note! First Metro Bank

💙🦅 We Are Falcons. We Are Community. We Are Grateful.

08/09/2026

🎉 What an AMAZING first week at W.C. Handy! 💙🦅

Our littlest Falcons are officially back, and we couldn’t have asked for a better start to the 2026–2027 school year! From first-day smiles and learning new routines to PE, walking the halls, and our busy car rider line, our students and staff have done an incredible job!

We were so thankful to have Superintendent Mr. Hopkins, Deputy Superintendent Dr. Sheppard, and Board President Mrs. Kirkman join us to welcome our students on their first day. We appreciate their continued support of our littlest Falcons! 💙

A huge thank you to our amazing teachers and staff for making sure every child felt welcomed, safe, loved, and ready to learn, and to our families for trusting us with your precious little ones.

📸 Now we want to see YOUR first-day pictures!
Falcon families, drop your favorite First Day of School photo in the comments below! 👇💙 We would love to fill our comments with the smiling faces of our littlest Falcons and celebrate this special milestone together!

What a wonderful beginning to a great year at Handy!

💙 We Are Falcons. We Are Family. We Are Handy! 🦅Florence City Schools

08/09/2026

💙 Learning, Growing & Preparing Together at W.C. Handy! 💙

Our professional learning continued as our staff prepared to make this school year the very best for our littlest Falcons! 🦅

💻 Jennifer Butler, Instructional Technology Integration Specialist, joined us to provide additional training on ParentSquare and our teachers’ new NEO MacBooks, while also giving staff time to ask questions and build confidence using these tools. We are incredibly thankful to our Board of Education and Superintendent Mr. Hopkins for investing in technology that supports our teachers and students!

❤️ Nicole Wall, District Nurse, provided important health and safety training, including hands-on instruction for administering EpiPens, and answered staff questions to help us be prepared to respond to the needs of our students.

🚨 Officer Adams led our safety drill training and even made practicing with our walkie-talkies fun and engaging! Keeping our students safe is always a top priority.

We are so thankful for the incredible people who support W.C. Handy! Thank you for sharing your time, expertise, and knowledge with our staff as we prepare for another great year. 💙🦅

We Are Falcons. We Are Prepared. We Are a Team. 💙🦅Florence City Schools

08/09/2026

💙 Learning, Growing & Inspiring Together! 🦅

Before welcoming our littlest Falcons back to school, our W. C. Handy team spent time learning, collaborating, connecting, and having fun together!

Our Back-to-School Professional Development focused on building strong classroom communities, creating positive relationships, establishing consistent routines, and helping every child feel safe, valued, and ready to learn.

Teachers also collaborated around the Alabama Standards for Early Learning and Development (ASELD), connecting standards to intentional teaching, developmentally appropriate practice, and lesson planning. And because strong teams matter too, we made time for laughter, movement, teamwork, and a little friendly competition! 💙

A special thank you to our OSR Academic Coach, LaShun Rutland, for joining us and supporting our First Class Pre-K teachers in their continued learning and growth.

We believe the same things we want for our children should be present for our adults—relationships, belonging, collaboration, learning, and JOY!

🦅 We Are Collaborative. We Are Learners. We Are Falcons! Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education

City Schools

08/09/2026

A huge THANK YOU to The Gathering Women’s Ministry of Highland Baptist Church for blessing our staff with a delicious Chick-fil-A breakfast during our Back-to-School Professional Development Days! 💙

Your kindness and generosity were such a wonderful way to help us kick off the new school year. We are so thankful for a community that loves and supports our Handy staff!

At W.C. Handy, We are FAMILY—and we are grateful for the many people in our community who are part of our Falcon family! 💙🤍 Florence City Schools

Highland Baptist Church. Florence Al

08/05/2026

Florence City Schools