On Friday, March 18, 2022, Child Care Services Association (CCSA) recognized the impact of early childhood educators, public servants and advocates on young children and their families at the 2022 Triangle Child Care Awards in Chapel Hill, N.C.
This year was unlike others as we recognized three individuals as early childhood champions and received 13 nominations for the Mary Y. Bridgers Early Childhood Teacher Award, more than we have received in the recent past. This shows our teachers deserve more as they have done so much more these past two years since the pandemic, working directly with young children every day to create safe, nurturing and effective learning environments.
The Mary Y. Bridgers Early Childhood Teacher Award was created in the 1980s to recognize Bridgers and her dedication to and advocacy for children. Finalists were selected based on an evaluation of their education and experience in early care and education, their advocacy on behalf of children and the early childhood community, references from their employers, colleagues and parents of children in their care and an on-site assessment of the nominee in their classroom. Because of the unprecedented amount of nominees this year, there were two winners of the Mary Y. Bridgers Early Childhood Teacher Award, two finalists and two semi-finalists.
The Mary Y. Bridgers Early Childhood Teacher Award winners were LaTida Adams from A Brilliant Beginning Daycare, a family child care home in Durham, and Michelle Tuttle from Estes Children’s Cottage in Chapel Hill. The finalists were Pebbles Lucas from First Chronicles Daycare Center in Durham and Bernita Mavhura from Early Preschool and Learning Center in Raleigh. The semi-finalists were Daniel Mabini from The Whitted School in Durham and Aisha Hassan from Wanda’s Little Hands Educational Center in Raleigh.
Mary Y. Bridgers Early Childhood Teacher Award winner LaTida Adams has been the director of A Brilliant Beginning Daycare, a family child care home, in Durham, N.C., for 23 years. She attended Durham Technical Community College and then transferred to North Carolina Central University for her undergraduate degree in early education and obtained a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from UNC-Wilmington. She has served on the planning committees for Durham’s Early Childhood Action Plan and Strengthening Durham’s Early Childhood System.
“I feel appreciated, and this [award] has helped me to understand my ‘why.’ It’s a rewarding reward because we don’t do this, or at least I don’t do this, for any recognition,” said Adams. “I do it because I love the children and I do understand that the first five years are the most important years. Being able to share that with the families, my community and all the advocates that were here today meant a lot to me.”
“I always wanted a daycare. In middle school, I wrote in a journal that I was going to open a daycare and name it A Brilliant Beginning after my daughter, Brylliant,” said Adams. “I want to give my kids a daycare feel in a home setting, inviting them to use my house, but giving them their own space…So, I opened up a daycare and connected with Child Care Services Association. They awarded me the best support from ’99 to today. They put me in the substitute program, they came over and watched the kids while I went to school.”
Adams said, “Out of the 23 years, honestly, my best years and most rewarding years was 2020 to now…I want [the children] to have a normal day…My family has been very supportive, the daycare families have been supportive. The pandemic opened up my eyes even more and showed me even more that I am living in my purpose and doing what He has called me to do, and that is serve our children and help our families, ‘cause it’s not just about the children, it’s about the families.”
Mary Y. Bridgers Early Childhood Teacher Award winner Michelle Tuttle has worked in licensed child care in North Carolina for 23 years. She is currently the owner and operator of Estes Children’s Cottage with her mother, Cathy.
She went to Appalachian State University for her undergraduate degree, where she received a T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® scholarship. Tuttle also earned her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from UNC-Chapel Hill. She has served as a board member for the North Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children (NCAEYC), mentored student teachers through university internship programs, a member of the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance and has attended the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) national conference annually since she was 12 years old.
“I am very honored to receive this award. In the field of early childhood, there are rare opportunities to get recognition and so this is very important and impactful and I’m very excited about it,” said Tuttle. “My journey began a long time ago. I’ve always had an interest in working with young children, when I was around 4 or 5 years old, [I] said I wanted to own my own child care center and I set up a center for my Cabbage Patch dolls.”
“The most rewarding part is being with children and seeing their joy in learning while also continuing to cultivate mine,” Tuttle said. “That is something I take from Reggio-inspired practice, that I don’t know how to do everything for every child, I am constantly learning. Each new child is different, each new child is a new person, a new family and a new relationship to build. We adapt our program curriculum based on each child.”
When asked about what advice she would give to others who are considering a career in early child care, Tuttle said, “The advice I would give is to follow your passion, connect with other people in the field and to continue to further your education and attend professional development opportunities. It’s a challenging field but it’s very rewarding.”
At the ceremony, two other awards were presented. The Child Care Services Association Public Service Award was presented to N.C. Representative Julie von Haefen and the Dorothy B. Graham Early Childhood Leadership Award was presented to Peggy Ball. U.S. Congressman David Price, N.C. Representative Verla Insko and Michele Rivest were honored as early childhood champions.
“Congratulations to all our early childhood champions and award winners,” said Marsha Basloe, president of CCSA. “These award winners remind us that good things can happen for young children in child care, Head Start and public school settings, that leadership for early childhood is needed and can be found in all three settings and that leadership and advocacy matter.”
“While many North Carolina businesses have re-opened, the situation on the ground for child care workers hasn’t changed for the better. Parents returning to the workforce need access to child care. The supply of child care depends on a stable and qualified child care workforce,” said Basloe. “Our experience with COVID offers all of us in the early childhood community an opportunity to plan for a stronger child care system post-COVID. We cannot go back to the way it was before the pandemic.”
Learn more about the early childhood champions, award winners and sponsors here.
