Why Early Childhood Educator of the year?
As a part of our annual Provider Appreciation activities each May, we celebrate you with our “Early Childhood Educator of the Year” campaign. This initiative brings awareness and shines the spotlight on those who consistently go over and above to deliver quality care to young children. This event provides the ECE community with a way to recognize a family child care educator and a center-based educator to help create awareness for the profession.
Nomination Information
Who can nominate? Educators can nominate themselves or be nominated by someone else (colleague, peer, supervisor, former or currently family member, community member)
Who can be nominated? Family child care (FCC) or center-based educators who work a minimum of thirty (30) hours per week and have been in the field of education for at least six (6) months.
Nominee Selection
- A committee comprised of various Delaware organizations will use a rubric to review all nominee submissions
- Identifying information will be removed from nominee submissions to ensure an objective review and selection process
- Five (5) FCC Educator of the Year nominees and five (5) Classroom Educator of the Year nominees will be selected.
- Individual nominees will be personally contacted before names are publicly announced
- Each of the ten (10) finalists will receive a yard sign to place in front of their program to announce their nomination and encourage voting.
Voting Information
- One Classroom Educator and One Family Child Care Educator will win Educator of the Year.
- Individual winners will be personally notified before public announcement of Educator of the Year is made
Educator of the Year Winners
Will receive:
- A framed certificate
- banner
- yard sign
- an invitation to be a guest on the DIEEC podcast X, WHY, Z: Reflections from Early Childhood Professionals
- a one-year deaeyc membership sponsored by deaeyc
- $100 Amazon gift card
Home-based setting: Kirsten Swift (Little Sprouts – Smyrna, Del.)
Center-based setting: Lindsey Mulvena (St. David’s Episcopal Day School – Wilmington, Del.)
Home-based finalists:
Home-based setting: Rhondalin Cannon-Tingle (Rhonda’s Little Angels Daycare and Preschool, Seaford), pictured on the right
Center-based setting: Colleen Millman (Delaware Technical & Community College Child Development Center, Georgetown), pictured on the left
