LAKE COUNTY— It was a night of celebration. The Lake County Office of Education’s (LCOE) Lake County Quality Counts (LCQC) held their 14th Annual Early Educator Awards Dinner on May 13, 2022 at the Lake County Fairgrounds.
This event highlights the hard work and dedication of the Early Educators in Lake County. This includes family childcare providers, preschool teachers, Head Start, Early Head Start, Migrant Head Start teachers, North Coast Opportunities (NCO) Rural Communities Child Care and First 5 Lake County.
Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry and Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg were on hand to acknowledge the good work of all 39 nominees.
Falkenberg said “Research shows that quality early childhood education is associated with higher measures of early language and math development. Congratulations to all of the nominees who work so hard to provide that quality experience to the youngest members of Lake County.”
The Early Educator Award recipients for 2022 are:
- Preschool Teacher Award: Denise Villalobos, NCO Head Start
- Infant/Toddler Teacher Award: Audrey Edlow, Early Head Start
- Outstanding Program Support Award: Paige Braun, Early Head Start
- Home Visitor Award: Brook Diggs, Early Head Start
- Inclusion Award: Aldo Rodriguez, NCO Head Start
- Leading the Field Award: Jamie Castaldo, NCO Rural Communities Child Care
- Advocate Award: Soledad Aguayo, Easter Seals
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Joy Swartz, NCO Head Start
Angela Cuellar-Marroquin, Lake County Child Care Planning Council Director, explains the importance of these awards. “Early education is the foundation of a successful academic career. It’s a time that we recognize the hard work that the early educators do each and every day.”
This event was made possible through the sponsorship of Redwood Credit Union, Lake County Tribal Health Consortium, First 5 Lake County, NCO Rural Communities Child Care, Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Middletown Rancheria Twin Pine Casino, Lake County Department of Social Services, Mary Prather, Learning Genie and That Ranch.
To learn more about the LCOE LCQC program, visit our website at lakecoe.org/LCQC
