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Ministry of Children and Family Development
250 356-1553

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2016 Child Care Award of Excellence Recipients

Ten child-care providers will receive a 2016 Child Care Award of Excellence for their outstanding work on behalf of B.C. children and families. In addition to the Child Care Awards of Excellence, 17 licensed child-care facilities will receive a Child Care Legacy Award in recognition of more than 40 years of service.

Provincial: Recognizes Early Childhood Educators with an active licence, individually or as a team. Also recognized in this category are licensed family child-care providers who are currently working in a licensed child-care setting.  This year’s winners are:

  • Kiwassa Variety Club Daycare – Vancouver
  • Harpreet Gill, Terrace Sunflower Childcare – Terrace

Innovation: Recognizes an individual, facility or organization demonstrating innovation in child-care programming in a traditional or non-traditional setting that links services to opportunities for child development and growth. This may include a StrongStart BC Centre, recreation centre program, or programs offered by a business. This year’s winner is:

  • Kristin Webster, Salal Child Care Team – Vancouver

Local Government: Honours local governments that demonstrate excellence in supporting or delivering existing child-care initiatives. This year’s winner is:

  • North Shore Partnership – City of North Vancouver, District of North Vancouver and District of West Vancouver

Leadership: Honours child-care providers under three categories, including lifetime achievement, business leaders, and emerging leaders who have a minimum of three years’ experience. 

Leadership – Business: Honours licensed businesses that provide non-direct child-care service delivery – through external partnerships – to provide exceptional child-care support for employees and their children. This year’s winner is:

  • Lexie Biegun, Lexie’s Little Bears Child Care and Puddles & Paints Playschool – District of Highlands (Victoria)

Leadership – Lifetime Achievement: Recognizes a child-care professional’s outstanding contributions to enriching the lives of children and families. These contributions may be through innovation, knowledge, or new ways of improving professional practice. This year’s winners are:

  • Carol Hunter, Castleview Child Care Centre – Victoria
  • Charlene Gray, Comox Valley Children’s Day Care Society – Comox
  • Noreen Marshall, Noreen’s Daycare – Fort St. James
  • Wendy Lowe, Infant Plus – Victoria

Aboriginal: The Lenora Pritchard Mentorship Award recognizes an Aboriginal nominee working in a licensed child-care setting who demonstrates leadership by acting as a role model and mentor to others. This year’s winner is:

  • Joan Gignac, Aboriginal Head Start Association of B.C. – Cobble Hill

Child Care Legacy Awards: Recognizes licensed child-care facilities that have provided more than 40 years of service. This year’s honourees are:

  • Armstrong Preschool – Armstrong
  • Britannia Child Care Centre Pre-School and Out of School Care – Vancouver
  • Cameron YMCA Kids Club – Burnaby
  • Children’s House Montessori Preschool – Coquitlam
  • Douglas Park Preschool – Vancouver
  • Kensington Community Centre Preschool – Vancouver
  • Kids Club – Vancouver
  • Kitsilano Area Childcare Society – Vancouver
  • Lakehill Co-op Preschool – Victoria
  • Little Neighbours Preschool – Coquitlam
  • Queen Mary Out Of School Day Care – North Vancouver
  • Queen Mary Preschool/Daycare – North Vancouver
  • Stepping Stone Preschool – Vancouver
  • Sunbeam Preschool – Langley
  • Sunflower Early Learning Society – North Vancouver
  • Trimble After School Care Society – Vancouver
  • Windermere Valley Child Care Society – Invermere