Each Spring, Early Childhood Educators who have applied and won a Terri Lynne Lokoff National Child Care Teacher Award come to Philadelphia to celebrate their achievement and accept their awards. The teachers are honored for the valuable work they do and the creative project they have proposed for their early childhood classroom/ or family childcare program.
As an early childhood educator and advocate for over 30 years, it is an honor for me to have volunteered for the Terri Lynne Lokoff National Child Care Teacher Award Event for over 13 years. It is always a joy to meet and share time with the winners during the 2-day event.
In Philadelphia, being honored as professional, creative Early Childhood Educators who play a critical role in providing high quality early care and education to our nation’s young children, the teachers feel appreciated as important members of our society. Often, they do not feel valued - as they usually receive little respect and work for lower compensation than elementary school teachers. Here, the Terri Lynne Lokoff National Child Care Teacher Award event is a 2-day opportunity for them to receive an award, be honored, treated royally and feel extremely valued!
As a volunteer for this special event, the rewards I see are - the joy and happiness that is expressed, the camaraderie and friendships that develop, the increased pride in their profession, and the affirmation that Early Childhood Educators are valued in our society for the important work they do. Every year I am so grateful and proud of the Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation and their dedication to this event!
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As a 30 year early childhood educator and advocate, it is an honor for me to have volunteered for the Terri Lynne Lokoff/Children's TYLENOL National Child Care Teacher Award Event for over 10 years. In my volunteer role, I am part of the Selection Committee, as well as the celebratory events when the winners come to Philadelphia to receive their award.
Professional, creative Early Childhood Educators play a critical role in providing high quality early care and education. Their value is immeasurable! Yet, in our society, they are often not appreciated and usually work for lower compensation than elementary school teachers. The Terri Lynne Lokoff/Children's TYLENOL National Child Care Teacher Award event is a 2-day opportunity for them to be honored and treated royally!
For me, as a volunteer for this event, the rewards I see -- the joy and happiness each teacher experiences as they are honored and rewarded for their work, the camaraderie and friendships that develop with other professionals, the increased pride in their profession, and the affirmation that Early Childhood Educators are valued in our society for the important work they do -- always makes me feel so grateful and proud of the Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation!
I am so proud to say that I have enjoyed being a part of the Lokoff foundation for more than twenty years . I have seen the profound impact that they have had on children, families and childcare providers. Recognizing this incredible group of professionals with their awards program is a unique and heartwarming tribute that has put Terri Lynne Lokoff in the forefront of childcare initiatives.
The TLLCCF recognizes child care professionals from around the country for their exemplary work with their children. I have attended every ceremony and the excitement of being recognized and awarded this honor (and money) is palpable. The teachers bring family and friends to Philadelphia to see them receive this recognition. Everyone in attendance is moved by the teachers joy and gratitude to the organization for recognizing not, only them, but this under appreciated profession. It’s a very special moment in the lives of the recipients.
The Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation is a wonderful organization with the mission of working to improve early care and education for all children. Each year the Foundation honors 50 child care teachers from across the country (and around the world) at the National Child Care Teacher Awards.
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This nonprofit organization recognizes the importance of childcare teachers across the nation and beyond. They realize America could not work without child care teachers. They award 50 of the top child care teachers with $500 for a project and $500 for the teacher. There is a rigorous application process, but it is completely worth it in the end.
The Terri Lynne Lokoff Foundation Children’s Tylenol National Child Care Teacher Award exceeded my expectations as a recipient in 2018. About two years ago, I had heard about the foundation through another Family Child Care Provider who had received the award years ago. She was pushing me to apply. That year I had thought about it, but life was just to busy. So, this past year, I went ahead and filled out the application. I was stoked to be a recipient of the 50 National Teacher Award Recipients in honor of Terri Lynne Lokoff. The award and accommodations exceeded all of my expectations. I was truly honored and humbled by the accommodations the foundation made for me, it was above and beyond my expectations. I am a Nationally Accredited Child Care provider through The National Association of Family Child Care, so quality care is near and dear to me. I was so honored to receive this award and to enhance my environment for the families and children that I serve. The keynotes at the event and other award winner attendees were very inspirational. Just hearing and feeling the passion in the room and ideals to strive for quality programs. The mayor of King of Pruissa was very impressive, taking the time to shake hands with all the recipients and his passion for children. In the early childhood field, we know the pays not that great, but the rewards are endless. The Terri Lynne Lokoff Foundation made me feel very valued. Valued for what I do as my career choice! As I continue my efforts, devoting and striving for quality care for children. I will honor cherish the opportunity of winning this prestigious award and the opportunity given by the Terri Lynne Lokoff Foundation, Foundations board and King of Prussia,Pennsylvania.
CCARR from Kansas
The Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation is a wonderful program. Being a "child care teacher" I didn't always feel that my hard work and dedication was always seen as teaching. I was encourage by upper management to apply for the TLLCCF which I thought was an amazing opportunity to bring my idea to life. I was extremely excited to have this great honor of being the only teacher in my center to apply for this award. I had an idea right away and I worked very quickly to get everything in order to proceed with my application. It was stressful but exhilarating to show everything that I had learned in this field. Once I was accepted and found that I was a Top 50 winner I was amazed! I was so happy with myself for finally proving to myself and everyone that this is where I belong. I had an amazing experience in Philadelphia for the awards ceremony. I was lucky enough to know a fellow winner from my company (different location) that we were able to enjoy ourselves and not be nervous about not knowing anyone. We had a few days to explore Philly, have gatherings with other winners, and even had a wonderfully heartfelt award ceremony. This experience has changed my life! I'm excited to continue the experience and build my project for all the preschoolers in my center. I'm even encouraging my fellow teachers to apply next year! TLLCCF has given me a sense of being and truly has helped me feel like this is really the field for me and that my education and years of experience has paid off in all the right areas! I cannot wait for the future of TLLCCF and to see many more of my fellow teachers to work towards recognized as well.
This foundation has done so much to further recognition of early education professionals and the need for early education in the role of development in young children! This is the only foundation I have ever heard of that contributes to this cause. What a fundamental role this foundation has and continues to provide! There is such a need to stress the importance of intervention and early education for young minds, and this organization has tackled the role seamlessly.
I had the amazing opportunity to be selected as a Terri Lynne Lokoff/TYLENOL National Child Care Teacher Award recipient and I am so grateful that the award along with the foundation exist. The Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation exhibits profound professionalism as well as understanding the need for high-quality child care teachers and recognizing those teachers. When I attended the award ceremony back in April I thought that it was going to be a simple award's ceremony but upon arrival I was quickly mistaken and immediately realized the seriousness and dedication that this foundation has created in celebrating child care teachers. As a teacher myself having a foundation that recognizes the importance of the early years and celebrating it, gives me hope that early childhood education can be recognized as a real profession with a real purpose. I will be forever grateful for this foundation and will do my best to support the mission and purpose of this foundation in anyway that I can.
I had the honor of being an 2018 award recipient. With all of my years working in this career field, I have never felt so valued and appreciative as a Child Care Provider. I was in a tug of war of not sure if I wanted to continue working in this field, but the Staff of this Child Care Foundation help light the fire back in me and helped me to remember my purpose and why I work with children and make a difference in their lives. This Foundation ensures that you know and understand your value and the importance of your impact with working with children. This was an amazing experience and it has motivated me to want to do more and be a part of this journey with this foundation.
This foundation is amazing!!!! I recently was selected a National Early Childhood Educator. It has been a professional learning process right from the beginning. I would encourage any early childhood educator that puts their heart and sole into young children to apply. The foundation truly makes exceptional educators feel they have one of the most important professions. It was an honor to travel to Philadelphia to receive an award. My family and I all enjoyed hearing all the speakers, learning from other educators across the United States and most importantly getting to know the people who work on the foundation. Thank You Lokoff foundation for making early childhood educators become a success!!!
TLLCCF has given me a huge opportunity to improve my outdoor space. Providing Early Childhood Educators awards to help improve their classroom environments gives teachers the tools to provide high quality care and education for the youth they teach. The ECE field has limited budgets, so any monetary award really helps teachers provide the tools to guide their children in their successes. I want to take this opportunity to express how wonderful the TLLCC Foundation is and how great it is to be recognized for the work that we do for early education. Please see the photos of some of the items I was able to purchase being a 2018 Terri Lynne Lokoff/Children's Tylenol National Child Care Teacher Award recipient.
The Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation is an extraordinary organization that brings awareness to the need for high quality early care and education. Their work has reached children in programs all over the world, and has impacted preschool teachers, families of children in care, and especially young children through it's work. I am so happy to have been a recent recipient of a TLLCCF National Teacher Award, and through the generous work of this organization, I am able to positively impact the lives of the young children in my care for years to come with the addition of a gardening area and an enhancement to our outdoor play and learning space.
Michele Doolady
The Terri Lynne Lokoff foundation recognizes the dedication and hard work of daycare teachers each and every year. I would recommend any teacher in daycare to apply for the Terri Lynne Lokoff Award. I was fortunate to be chosen as one of the 50 teachers this year. I can not wait to use the funds to create an educational project that children can enjoy and explore for years to come! Each and every person involved with this foundation is a professional, helpful, and caring individual.
I had the time of my life at the weekend event! The people at the Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation kept reminding us that our profession was important and valued. They were friendly, accommodating, and generous. The grant money we all received for our classrooms will help hundreds of children be successful. They really care about children and educators. I feel so validated and confident. I am so thankful for the opportunity and experience I had with the Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation.
Great organization that supports quality child care! Was able to be a part of their Teacher awards and the experience was wonderful. Great staff
When I first heard about the Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation from my director who had seen it on Facebook, I was a little skeptical. My director asked me to apply for the award and I had my doubts, but still applied. The application process was rigorous and in depth. I did apply and was very happy to hear that I had won an award which was awarded to 50 teachers, and I had come in among the top 10 Early Childhood Educators from a countrywide selection out of these 50 teachers. This Organization treated these 50 teachers and their families to a wonderful weekend. We were treated like royals - given a nice two day hotel stay, great dinners, gifts, and a check for our personal use as well as a grant for the project that each teacher specified. We were even given travel money and valet parking at the downtown hotel where the award ceremony took place. Everything was planned well. The organizers and the Lokoff family members were very nice and personally greeted each teacher and their family. We were made to feel welcome. It was great hospitality! Teachers in Early Childhood Education don't really work for "big bucks". We would get those precious hugs from the children and thank yous from parents but to be recognized for the work we do in the manner that Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation did, was very rewarding. The school I work for got a grant and I was able to use the money given towards implementing my project. My project was to use digital cameras in the Early Childhood Education classroom which would have immense advantages, while incorporating STEM learning in the classroom. My present class of 20 Pre-K students ages 4-5 would benefit by this project as well as the future children who would pass through my class. I am very grateful for the Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation and wish them much success in the future. I would encourage any teacher to apply for this award. It did take time and effort on my part with the application process, but quite worth the outcome as I feel I was recognized for the quality work that I do. I must say that the Lokoff family members and the other members of the organization were very nice. Great Job and Kudos to you all for being a service to the Early Childhood Profession! Thank you again. Lakshini W. from MD.
The Terri Lynne Lokoff foundation is amazing. The application process was easy to understand and complete. All of the staff were extremely nice and helpful by email and personal contact. After being rewarded for my grant and attending a fabulous weekend, which was paid for by Terri Lynne foundation, I had a feeling of accomplishment and pride. During the weekend I was given the opportunity to meet other educators from around the U.S. We had professionals speak with us, and we got to meet the people who work for the foundation. It was nice to be involved with other professionals in the field of early childhood education who are just as passionate about it as I am. The Terri Lynne Lokoff foundation made me feel like I truly mattered as an educator and my project made a difference to my school and my class. The foundation had a big impact on how I viewed myself as a teacher in my community. I am very thankful for the generosity and care that the Terri Lynne Lokoff foundation provided me. It is an experience I will never forget and one that I will always be thankful for.
I only stubbles upon the application for the child care teacher of the year award this fall! I started asking around to see if anyone knew if it was legit. Sure enough other providers that I respect steped forward and let me know not only was it legit it was one of the most amazing experiences of their life. So I applied. Then I received the application and sat it aside till just before a week before the deadline. I was worried about asking for the needed parent and colleague because I don’t like having to ask for help with things so I almost let the opportunity pass. Thankfully later that day I had a colleague reach out to me to Tasha o me and acknowledge my efforts with our state child care association. I took it as a sign and asked her to write me a letter of support she said she would be honored. I then asked every one of my parents to write me one as well knowing I only needed 2 in the cohort time frame. To my surprise all of my families wrote beautiful letters which were an honor to receive! I would have been happy with just that - knowing how they felt about me and our program. However come to find out I was selected as one of the 50 winners for this year! My daughter came along as my support and we attended all the presentations and ceremonies which were so inspiring! Being surrounded by so many passion driven women was so motivating! I made many connections with fellow providers and am excited to follow along with all of our grant projects! It gives me lots of new ideas for years to come to continue to strive for high quality! Then on top of everything else I was fortune enough to tour the historical city of Philadelphia as well! Such legacy abounds and the beautiful architecture! I was sad to leave! I can’t wait to try and apply again ! This organization is a wonderful thing to bring respect and professionalism to a such an important field! Early childhood educators are the promise of our future!
The Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation is fabulous! Started from a tragedy, the foundation has touched so many lives! Lives of teachers, children, parents and friends everywhere! The ways they have been able to assist center's is truly amazing! From improvements to classrooms, additional equipment and entertaining programs for all! Many thanks to TLLCCF!
This foundation is truly amazing. They want quality early childhood education for all children. Honoring the teachers is just a perk. I was a recipient this year and am ecstatic to be able to add more quality resources to our outdoor classroom. Thank you for spreading the love of learning.
I have had the honor of being a TLLCCF grant winner. Writing the proposal allowed me to carefully look at what I did on a day to day basis, and consider what would benefit my students most. This non-profit brought together teachers with a shared passion and dedication, and granted our wishes to provide our children with new opportunities and experiences. I am most thankful for my association with this family and foundation.
I have experienced the work of the TLLCCF for more than 25 years and have consistently been impressed with everything about them. The annual teacher awards event is a wonderful, inspiring celebration of the early childhood field. Early childhood professionals are critical to the well-being of children and the future of our society but continue to be seriously underpaid and under-valued. TLLCCF strives to right this wrong by celebrating ECE professionals and supporting the work they do in a variety of ways. I have been a volunteer reader for the awards for about 10 years and as a director my center has received funding to help build a new playground as well as funding to bring in special programs.
Being a recipient of the Terri Lynn Lokoff Child Care Teacher award is, at this point, at the absolute top of my life achievements. I cannot begin to properly explain what an honor is was to receive this prestigious award and how helpful the grant was to my classroom. Implementing my project has absolutely changed the way my classroom flows, and the children in my room are utilizing the equipment each and every day. The experience of the awards ceremony and all of the conferences and fun events that went with it will never ever leave my heart. I am so proud of this amazing foundation and all that it does for Early Childhood Education!
I was a blessed to be the recipient of the Terri Lynne Lokoff National Child Care Teacher Award in 2017. I have never felt as appreciated as a provider then I did when I was in Philadelphia for the award ceremony. Not only was I personally impacted but thought the non profit, the children and families in my care were also able to benefit from my award through out competed project. I am so thankful to everyone at the TLLCC and hope they are able to continue to help encourage and support child care providers for many years.
I have been in the early childhood feild for many years, and most recently recognized in 2017 as a national Early Childhood teacher. This is the only nonprofit that recognizes the hard work teachers do and gives us an opportunity to be celebrated and recognized for the brain's we build. The nonprofit is incredibly well run, organized and professional.
I have been involved with the Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation since the late '90s. The organization started the conversation about the need for quality child care long before it became a prominent topic. The Foundation has done so much to raise awareness among legislators and communities to ensure children get the right start in their most formative years. The Foundation also does a remarkable job of supporting child care teachers through Terri Lynne Lokoff / Children's TYLENOL National Child Care Teacher Awards. The teachers submit lesson ideas that are amazingly creative and relatively inexpensive to implement. The winners receive funding for the project. It's a real win-win.
There are not enough words to describe how wonderful the Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation is. I participated in their event May of 2017 and it was life changing for me. From the moment I stepped off the plane in Philadelphia I felt like I was a part of the TLLCCF family. The whole weekend I was there was very well organized and up lifting. They thought of everything to make us feel like we were the most valuable teachers in the world while we were there. They greeted us and got to know each one of us as an individual and called us by name. They even welcomed our whole families to come and be with us during this time of honor. I am honored now to be an official part of the TLLCCF family and look forward to doing my part in spreading the word out about this foundation to other teachers about how helpful and rewarding the TLLCCF family is. In my classroom I am now sending home "Book Buddy Bags" weekly with the children in my class from the money I received from the TLLCCF family. My goal with my backpacks is to bring family time back to families. These backpacks are definitely a tool that the families can use to spend family time together. I have included a couple of pictures of children in my classroom getting ready to take home the back packs and the second picture is an example of the activities that are included in the backpacks to promote family time. Thank-you again TLLCCF for choosing me and my classroom into your family. It has been a very rewarding experience. Joni Khan BGC of the Sioux Empire , Early Learning Academy, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
What a wonderful organization honoring the memory of a daughter/sister through the recognition of a rarely acknowledged group of people : Early Childhood Educators.
I had the honor to be chosen this year as a Terri Lynne Lokoff winner. But it was my children who were the winners. We are a non profit that services high risk low income families and the money awarded to our school has helped us so much. It has sparked a renewed interest in math an science amongst 3 yr olds. The conversations and problem solving is amazing. Please keep them st the top of your list so others can help their kids like I was able to.
The Terri Lynne Lokoff foundation is an amazing organization. They work extremely hard to help people and to make early child care educators feel like super heroes. Their hard work and dedication is much appreciated by an early childhood educator like myself. They work for a good cause and help make the education world better every year!
I am a childcare teacher and I was a recipient earlier this year! I can not thank this foundation enough for bringing a spotlight to the early childhood field. When you arrive they greet you by your name and acknowledge your achievements! This foundation is amazing and deserves more recognition!
Wonderful organization that serves to support and recognize professionals in the early childhood field.
I was fortunate to be honored by the TLLCCF as one of the 2017 Early Childhood Teachers of the Year. The foundation staff was amazing, they provided an amazing trip to honor childcare teachers and the funds from the grant they provided have enhanced my program. Early Childhood educators are often underpaid and not given the recognition for the very important job they do. This foundation is doing a phenomenal job in helping to change that.