DIEEC Excellence in Early Childhood Awards - Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood

Nominations open Friday, February 28, 2025

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Celebrating Excellence, Honoring Dedication

A fresh look and an exciting new award!

The DIEEC Educator of the Year Awards are back with a new name and an exciting new addition! This year, we’re honoring outstanding early childhood professionals in three categories:

Center-Based Early Childhood Classroom Educator
Family Child Care Educator
Early Career Educator

The DIEEC Excellence in Early Childhood Awards acknowledge and honor exceptional Delaware professionals who exemplify the highest standards in early care and education. Our mission is to elevate the importance of the early childhood education profession in the public eye by celebrating those who go above and beyond to support young children’s learning and development.

For full details of the award process, please view the DIEEC Excellence in Early Childhood Awards Guid e.

2022 Winners (left to right) Colleen Millman (Center-based setting) and Rhondalin Cannon-Tingle (Home-based setting)

Award Categories

This year’s awards recognize excellence in three categories:

Center-Based Classroom Educator – Honors an outstanding classroom educator working in a licensed early childhood center.
Family Child Care Educator – Recognizes a dedicated educator operating a family child care program.
Early Career Educator – Celebrates an emerging professional making a meaningful impact early in their career.

Winning educators will receive:

A personal stipend.
Recognition via DIEEC social media and newsletters, yard sign, and plaque.
Gift cards to be used for enhancing the classroom environment will be provided to winning family child care educators and to the programs of winning center-based and early career educators.
A one-year membership to deaeyc.

Eligibility Criteria

ALL nominees must be educators of children ages birth through pre-kindergarten in a program with a current OCCL license in the state of Delaware.

Center-based and family child care educators MUST:

Be an educator of children between the ages of birth through pre-kindergarten.

AND

Be either:

A full-time lead or assistant classroom educator/family child care educator (minimum of 30 hours worked per week) employed for a minimum of 18 months in one child care facility/program that operates full day.

A lead or assistant classroom educator/family child care educator (minimum of 15 hours worked per week) employed for a minimum of 18 months in one child care facility/program that operates part-day.

Early career educators MUST:

Be an educator of children between the ages of birth through pre-kindergarten.

Be currently employed in a family, large family, center-based program, or school-based early childhood program that fully complies with OCCL regulations.

AND

Have been a paid early childhood intern, assistant teacher, or lead teacher for no more than two years and work 30 hours per week in a program that operates full-day OR at least 15 hours per week in a program that operates part-day.

For full details of the award process, please view the DIEEC Excellence in Early Childhood Awards Guide.

Meet Last Year’s Winners and Runners-Up

Mary Waters

Family Child Care Winner

With over 15 years of experience, Mary Waters provides exceptional early learning at Ms. Mary’s Nature Preschool in Hartly. Mary has merged her passion for early childhood education and her love of nature to create a unique home-based preschool where children thrive as learners as they connect with nature. Her unique outdoor classroom, nestled in woodland, offers children ample opportunities for nature exploration in a peaceful learning environment. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Wilmington University and Early Childhood Administrator Certification from Delaware’s Department of Education. Mary lives in Hartly with her husband and children.

Meghan Eudy

Center-Based Winner

Meghan Eudy is employed at the Delaware Technical and Community College (DTCC) Child Development Center in Georgetown. Her tenure with DTCC began in 2009 while she was pursuing her degree in Early Childhood Education. Throughout her college journey and practical hours at DTCC, Meghan’s passion for the field deepened. As an Early Childhood Educator, she is dedicated to nurturing children’s growth and fostering their skills through play-based methods and the resources available both within her center and across the state.

Stacy Morgan

Family Child Care Runner-Up

Stacy Morgan is the founder of the Little Bit of Sunshine Nature Learning Academy, which she established in 1995 after leaving a career in banking. With a passion for creating a nurturing, nature-based learning environment, Stacy has spent over 29 years fostering a space that supports the physical, emotional, and educational growth of children. Stacy’s achievements include being a Let’s Go Outside 2022 participant, and having her academy featured in the Voices From the Field section of DIEEC’s REACH newsletter. She continues her professional development through DIEEC’s professional learning experiences and attending online webinars with We Skoolhouse, Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds, Take Me Outside, and Kristen RB Peterson. Stacy earned her Family Child Care CDA in June 2023 and is working on her Hygge in The Early Years accreditation.

Caitlin Gibbons

Center-Based Runner-Up

Caitlin Gibbons is an early childhood educator with eight years of experience in preschool education, including two years at the Odessa High School Pre-K Lab. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Delaware, Caitlin is dedicated to nurturing young minds and fostering a love for learning. Beyond the classroom, she collaborates with high schoolers in the pathway program, bridging the gap between early childhood and secondary education. Through her passion for creating inclusive and engaging learning environments, Caitlin remains committed to shaping the educational journeys of both young children and teenagers, leaving a profound impact on their learning experiences.

We would like to thank our sponsors at Becker’s School Supplies, Discount School Supply, Early Childhood Innovation Center, Delaware Association for the Education of Young Children, and Lakeshore Learning who donated prizes for our award-winning educators.

2024 Educator of the Year Panelists

Patti Lynch

Lisa Miller

Lynn Worden

PDRC Coordinator, Wilmington Early Care & Education Council (WECEC)

Executive Director, Delaware Association for the Education of Young Children (deaeyc)

Associate Professor, University of Delaware

Patti Lynch boasts over thirty-five years of active involvement in early childhood education, serving in roles such as classroom teacher, curriculum coordinator, and technical assistant. Passionate about empowering the early childhood community, she currently leads as the Program Manager at the Wilmington Early Care and Education (WECEC) Professional Development Resource Center (PDRC), striving to unite resources and community. WECEC facilitates monthly meetings, organizes professional development events, and fosters a continuous exchange of resources to support the ECE profession.

Lisa started working at an educational publisher, using her English degree to create literacy workbooks and manipulative materials for high school curricula. Years later, while teaching English at Delaware Technical Community College, she began to understand the impact of early learning experiences on literacy. She then became an assessor of early learning development for ages pre-k to adults and the director of education at Huntington Learning Center. When she became Executive Director at deaeyc nearly five years ago, she knew she had landed where she was meant to be.

Lynn Worden is an Associate Professor at UD in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, having been a faculty member since 2002 and serving as the Early Childhood Education (ECE) program coordinator for 20 years. She specializes in teaching courses related to infants and toddlers, parents and families, and supporting the professional development of ECE majors. Before joining UD, Lynn accumulated extensive experience in various settings, providing support to children ranging from infants to school-age and their families.

Jill Kortright Wood

Diane Frentzel

Rhondalin Cannon-Tingle

Program Quality Assessment Supervisor, Pennsylvania Key (PA Key)

Program Manager, Delaware Readiness

2022 Educator of the Year Winner – Little Angels ECE Program

Jill Kortright Wood is a Program Quality Assessment Supervisor for Keystone STARS, Pennsylvania’s ECE quality system. Initially engaged through networking discussions on statewide quality initiatives, Jill now leads her team in the Delaware Valley and oversees Pennsylvania’s implementation of the Environment Rating Scales. Recently, she dedicated significant time to supporting researchers at the University of South Carolina in studying equity in early learning environments. Prior to her current role, Jill provided coaching and professional development support to early educators and services for children and families at a Philadelphia-based nonprofit before joining the Pennsylvania Key in 2007.

Diane serves as the Program Manager of Delaware Readiness teams, facilitating collaboration among families, educators, schools, and communities to prepare children ages birth to 8 for success in school and beyond. With extensive experience, including tenure as a child care director at Bright Horizons, Diane brings leadership to statewide initiatives. Since 2016, she has overseen the Making a Difference Conference, which is dedicated to enhancing early childhood professionals’ skills and knowledge. Diane holds a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Development and Education from the University of Delaware.

Rhondalin Cannon-Tingle is a Family Child Care educator and the proud owner of Rhonda’s Little Angels ECE Program in Seaford, Delaware. With over 25 years of experience in the Early Childhood Education field, Rhondalin brings a wealth of expertise and passion to her work. In 2022, she was honored with the title of FCC Educator of the Year by UD/DIEEC, a testament to her dedication and excellence. Rhondalin currently serves as the Sussex County Network Ambassador for DIEEC, demonstrating her commitment to supporting and empowering fellow educators in the community.

Kirsten Swift

2023 Educator of the Year Winner – Little Sprouts School

Kirsten Swift brings three decades of early childhood teaching experience, finding her passion in nurturing young minds as a classroom teacher. Following a 20-year tenure at St. Anne’s Episcopal School, Kirsten embarked on her lifelong dream of owning a preschool. In June 2022, she opened Little Sprouts School, offering part-time Pre-K and Preschool classes in a nature-infused, home-based setting. Blending outdoor and indoor learning, Kirsten’s curriculum fosters child-led exploration alongside teacher-guided activities.