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Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Early Childhood Education

5 October 2009

Ottawa, Ontario

The early years of a child’s life are critically important. The educators who collaborate in a child’s education in those years have an impact that will last for the rest of that child’s life. For many children, at least one educator will stand out in their earliest memories as someone who encouraged, enabled and inspired them to be their very best.

The Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Early Childhood Education honour outstanding and innovative early childhood educators who excel at fostering the early intellectual and social development of the children entrusted to their care – teachers who help build the foundation children need to meet life’s challenges.

Nominees are judged on their overall merits as educators, while the awards are selected by an external selection committee comprised of early childhood education experts from across Canada. The committee selects recipients based on their innovative approaches and outstanding ability to engage and support the development of children in their care, as well as on their overall commitment to the development of the early childhood education and care profession.

For early childhood educators, the committee looks for clear evidence that nominees have excelled in the following four areas:

support of child development
innovation
involvement with parents, families and the community
commitment and leadership in the field

Early childhood educators are eligible for two awards: the Certificate of Excellence and the Certificate of Achievement. All recipients receive a certificate and pin, along with a letter from the Prime Minister. A cash award of $5,000, shared equally between the winning educator and his or her childcare school or daycare, is given with the Certificate of Excellence. A cash award of $1,000 is given to recipients of the Certificate of Achievement. These funds may be used for professional development, equipment, resource materials or other tools to improve developmental programming and children’s experiences. Up to 10 Certificates of Excellence and up to 15 Certificates of Achievement are awarded per competition. At least one Certificate of Excellence and one Certificate of Achievement are designated for the top-ranked Aboriginal early childhood educators.

For more information about the program, please visit the Prime Minister’s Awards website at www.pma.gc.ca.

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