View the following photo gallery of our award winners from the 7th Annual Tri-Cities Champions of Young Children Awards of Excellence!
On May 12, 2016 the Tri-Cities Early Childhood Development Committee was pleased to host their seventh Tri-Cities Champions for Young Children Awards of Excellence Event at the Molson Canadian Theatre at Hard Rock Casino Vancouver.
Vancouver Tumblebus won the Business Champion Award of Excellence. The award was presented to Trish Mandewo, Owner, in recognition of her vision of a unique, mobile program that makes kids love being physically active; and also in appreciation of her high level of community engagement.
The 2016 Leadership Champion award was given to Andrea Hunter, Early Learning Co-ordinator for School District #43. Andrea is very passionate about the early years and has been a big leader in this area at both the School District and community level.
The Champion for Children Who Have Special Needs for 2016, is Gayle McAllister. Gayle works with children and their families as a consultant through the Supported Child Development Program at the Simon Fraser Society for Community Living. In her long career, Gayle has shown herself to go above and beyond, and she is incredibly resourceful in supporting families with multiple challenges.
Childgarden Preschool & Discoveries was named as the 2016 Champion Group Winner. This successful program is committed to following students’ interests and creating a strong sense of community for the students and families in the program.
Julia Punzo won for the 2016 Individual Champion. Julia is a Strongstart Facilitator for SD#43 and goes above and beyond her job description, to make sure families have the supports and connections that they need.
The Volunteer Champion for 2016 was Julie Yu. Julie volunteers at the City of Port Coquitlam’s Children’s Services and she is dedicated, caring and passionate about working with preschoolers at City programs.