Today thread is proud to announce the recipients of the 2018 thread Awards: The Cindy Harrington Heart & Mind Award and the Quality Improvement Program of the Year Award.
Nellie Edmund of Alakanuk, AK is the recipient of thread’s 2018 Cindy Harrington Heart & Mind award. Nellie is the Teacher Director at Alakanuk Head Start and has taught over three generations of Head Start children in her 40-year career. Nellie is a leader in the classroom, encouraging children to learn and grow toward their full potential. She is committed to learning as well, and while working full-time, supporting a family and maintaining traditional cultural activities, Nellie, after 25 years of experience in Head Start, earned her AA degree in Early Childhood in December 2005. She helped her staff persevere after Alakanuk Head Start caught fire in 2014, and is highly respected by the parents in her village. Nellie is the fourth recipient of the annual Cindy Harrington Heart & Mind Award, an award that highlights an individual currently employed in the field of early care and learning who exhibits strength of character, commitment to excellence, professional determination, and has an impassioned spirit. Learn more.
The recipient of thread’s 2018 Quality Improvement Program of the Year Award is the Center for Child Development (CCD) at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska. The CCD was developed by the Sisters of Providence to provide quality child developmental services to employees, physicians, and community partners of Providence Health & Services Alaska. Through this award, thread is recognizing the center for its commitment to continuous quality improvement, which it demonstrates by its voluntary enrollment and active participation in Learn & Grow, Alaska’s Quality Recognition and Improvement System (QRIS). This past year, Providence CCD became the first program in the state to achieve a Level 2 in Learn & Grow. Staff at Providence CCD have eagerly engaged in Learn & Grow training requirements and have implemented their acquired knowledge to improve their teaching practice and the learning environment. Learn more.
The recipients were recognized today during the Anchorage Association for the Education of Young Children (AAEYC) Early Childhood Conference in Anchorage, Alaska.