11 Child Care Professionals Inducted into Early Education Hall of Heroes

The Child Care Council of Westchester inducted 11 child care and after school professionals into its Early Education Hall of Fame on September 19. The event, which included dinner, a live DJ, trivia, and an awards ceremony, took place at Mercy University.

Established in 2019, the Hall of Heroes celebrates outstanding early education and after school professionals in order to honor their critical role in the lives of children and families, and to bring public recognition to the importance of child care and early education as it pertains to school readiness, family stability, and economic vitality.

“This annual event is our opportunity to celebrate the dedication and impact of early education professionals who often work behind the scenes but make a lasting difference not only for individual children, but in helping grow strong communities,” said Child Care Council Executive Director Laura Newman.

This year’s honorees included caregivers, teachers, administrators, and business owners from throughout the county:

• Alba Sanabria, Daycare Director, My First Steps A S Corp, Mount Vernon
• Gertrude Smith, Daycare Owner, Smith Loving Care, Inc., Yonkers
• Isola Isaac, Provider, Tee-Tee's Amazing Kids, Mount Vernon
• Joe DaRonco, Owner/Director, Ten Ten Recreation, Yorktown Heights
• Kemmah Campbell, Owner, In Kemmah's Care LLC, Mount Vernon
• Liliana Gudino, Child Care Director, Rye YMCA, Rye
• Margarita Pineiro, Director of Early Learning Childcare Services, YMCA of Central Northern Westchester, White Plains
• Sandra L. Jenkins, Head Teacher, St. Peter's Child Care Center, Yonkers
• Sonilvia Garcia, Child Care Provider, Nina's Daycare Inc., Yonkers
• Susan Daly, Director, The Irvington Children’s Center, Irvington
• Yasmill Ledesma, Director of Education, Discovery Village Childcare Center, Tarrytown

The event was sponsored by Clean Commercial Cleaning, M&T Bank, The Arvind Family, Gardner Media, Nicole and Kurt Rebori, Community Playthings, The D’Emic Family, The Flanagan Thurau Family, The Kelly Family, The Koelsch-Rebori Family, Quality Stars NY, The Ruoff Family, Sami Vecchiolla, Sharc Creative, and the YMCA of Central and Northern Westchester. Adam Kintish, Vice President at M&T Bank, served as volunteer emcee for the evening.

For more information about the Early Education Hall of Heroes of the Child Care Council of Westchester, call (914) 761-3456 or visit www.childcarewestchester.org.

About: The Child Care Council of Westchester is a 501c3 nonprofit resource organization founded in 1968 that champions the healthy development of children, families and communities by promoting quality early care and education. A unique “one stop” agency for child care based in Scarsdale, NY, the Council connect parents with quality child care and related financial resources, supports child care providers with training and business best practices, assists employers with resources for their workforce, and advocates for policies and funding that supports the needs of families and care providers.