The Child Development Center held its Family Harvest Buffet for parents and their children on Oct. 30.

“We can celebrate the Halloween holiday without celebrating Halloween,” said Debra Ward, director of the Child Development Center.

She said the reason is because families come from various cultures. Some don’t celebrate Halloween and some may see the holiday as Satanic.

“We don’t celebrate any of the traditional holidays like Christmas and Valentine’s Day,” she said.

She said this event was an opportunity for parents to volunteer.

Parents helped set up, decorate, direct activities, and bring in food.

All the food was brought by parents.

The Child Development Center provided a kitchen if parents wanted to prepare food there.

Ward said she wanted them to “bring food from their own cultures.”

“(This is important to) get in contact with the parents,” said Patricia Gomez, practicum student. “If they have any concerns with the program, we can talk.”

“Today, I was a face painter,” Gomez laughed.

This is not the only event the Child Development Center hosts.

In February, the center has a snow day. In April, it holds a childhood celebration.

Various activities were going on at the harvest.

The children were able to participate in face painting and mask making.

Ward continued, “We’re encouraging families to read with their children.”

The Child Development Center was holding a book fair full of Scholastic books and others to get parents into reading with their kids.

Elhabib and Fouzia Mataoui brought their two kids, who had participated in the face painting.

“I took off of work to be with the kids,” the husband said.

Parents were able to park in the front row of parking lot C-10 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the event.