Hamden Childcare Teacher Awarded Prize

The Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation (TLLCCF) has selected Holly Rosa, a teacher at the Apple Tree Children's Center in Hamden, to receive the 2013 Terri Lynne Lokoff/Children’s TYLENOL® National Child Care Teacher Award.

Rosa was selected from a pool of applicants nationwide. She will receive an award of $1,000 on April 11 at a special ceremony at Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, PA.

There are a total of 52 National Child Care Teacher Award recipients for 2013. Each recipient designed an enhancement project that illustrates the educational, social and emotional benefits for the children in their care.

With a grant from the awards program, Rosa will implement her project, "You Won't Be Board With Our Book Club."

“'You Won’t Be Board with our Book Club' will bridge the gap between home and school for the infants in my class," Rosa said. "It will also emphasize the importance of language and literacy starting at a very early age.

In conjunction with the school’s monthly themes, Rosa will provide a board book to each child in her classroom which will include topics such as family, seasons, community helpers, shapes and animals. One book will also be purchased for the classroom library.

One evening a month the children, parents and teachers will get together to read to the children, Rosa said.

"I will also suggest related reading material that corresponds with the topics and ideas and strategies about reading to and with young children. Not only will our book club strengthen the home and school connection, it will also provide parents the opportunity to bond and interact with each other," she said. "This is something I know new parents want and need.

"One of the best ways to instill the love of books, words and learning is to read from an early age," she said. "Having books around and easily accessible demonstrates that reading and learning is important. This infant book club will build our children’s home library and will encourage our students to be lifelong readers.”

A committee of national early childhood educators and experts reviewed and scored the applications. Each recipient receives a $1,000 award: $500 to implement their proposed project and $500 to acknowledge their dedication.

Dating back to the inception of the Teacher Awards program in 1994, the TLLCCF, with the inclusion of the 2013 recipients, will have presented 739 awards totaling more than $700,000 to early care and education teachers and providers for their dedication and excellence.