Council is awarding four Cate Riley Innovation for Quality Prizes
Because children only benefit from quality early learning programs, the Child Care Council strives to recognize and support examples of quality experiences. This year, the Council is awarding four Cate Riley Innovation for Quality Prizes, three to Westchester programs and a fourth to a child care resource and referral agency in Syracuse. Funding comes from the Cathryn Riley Leadership Fund established years ago at the Council for a respected and beloved Council staff person who died in a tragic accident. The selections were made by a committee comprised of Lottie Harris, former Council executive director, Dr. Pat Amanna of the Child Care Center at Purchase College and Mary Lou Sgro, Westchester Community College faculty member and current president of WAEYC, and Kathy Halas, Executive Director of the Council.
Westchester awards:
- It Takes a Village to Educate a Child, Sonia-Marshall Brown, Executive Director, for “Cooperative Play Skills with Lego Robotics” an afterschool program for children with special needs and typically developing children together, that teaches social and leadership skills embedded in a Legos Robotics class.
- Little House Day Care, Elizabeth Knowles, Owner/Director, for “The Fundamentals of Play”, a new support community for family and group family programs through hands-on trainings and forums.
- Little Angels Child Development, Angela Bayer-Perseeco, Owner/Director for “From Seeds to Sharing”, a community garden project where the children will create a vegetable garden from scratch and donate their produce to the Sharing Community, so that they learn about both gardening and giving.
Statewide award:
- Child Care Solutions, Inc., Lori Schakow, Executive Director, for ”Talking is Teaching: Talk, Read and Sing”, to improve the kindergarten readiness of children enrolled in legally-exempt care in Onondaga County, part of a county-wide initiative of the Early Childhood Alliance.
All of the recipients will be sharing the results of their projects so that the Council can share with the Westchester early care and education community.
New CCCW Grant for Child Care/After School Programs!
Westchester child care and after school programs are encouraged to apply for a 2017 Cathryn A. Riley Innovation for Quality Prize to support improvements in early care and education quality. The Council is looking for new or existing projects that meet one or more of the following criterion:
- Involves collaboration with other parties
- Strengthens business practices
- Involves working with employers
- Strengthens professional development
2017 Children's Book Drive
March 15 - April 28, 2017
The Child Care Council of Westchester and Westchester Association for the Education of Young Children (WAEYC) celebrate the Week of the Young Child with our 9th Annual Children’s Book Drive.
Learning to read and write starts in early childhood when children have many opportunities to hear books read to them. This forms the basis for later school success. Many child care programs in Westchester County do not have enough books. They need your help.
From March 15—April 28, 2017, please donate slightly used books at the Child Care Council and other child care programs that are collection sites. The Child Care Council is located at 313 Central Park Avenue, Scarsdale, New York (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm; call for Saturday hours).
Please only donate books in very good condition that can be used and enjoyed by other children. We especially welcome books depicting diverse ages, abilities and cultures, for children ages zero to 12.
Raise a Glass for Kids!
The Child Care Council of Westchester cordially invites you to a fun night of wine, food, and friends!
Funds raised from this wonderful evening will benefit our child care scholarship program. We hear over and over again from parents that these scholarships are unequivocally life-altering. Children who are able to move into programs that offer high-quality early care and education start to improve and flourish almost immediately. Research proves that the brain growth this spurs will make a lifelong impact, increasing the likelihood to success throughout school and career, and reducing incidences of risky or unhealthy behavior.
Champions for Children and Joey Awardees announced
The 2017 Champions for Children are: Dr. Jennifer Canter, CCCW Board member Cecilia McKenney of Frontier Communications; and the Ossining Union Free School District. Joey Award winners are Krystal Hill of the Early Einstein Learning Center, Barbara Powell of Effective Child Care Services, Ronnie Weinberger of Oak Lane Child Care Center, and Henry Wilson of Youth Community Outreach Program of Mount Vernon, Inc.
Honorees will be recognized at the Annual Awards Breakfast on Friday, May 19th, 2017 from 8:00 to 10:00 am at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown, NY. Tara Rosenblum of News 12 Westchester will be Master of Ceremonies.
