Nominations will be accepted until September 7, 2022 at midnight.

**Please note: you must complete and submit your nomination in one sitting, there is no option to save and finish later, unfortunately.**

The Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children (VTAEYC) is strengthening early childhood education in Vermont. Through our Pre-Apprenticeship and Apprenticeship Programs, we are encouraging early childhood educators to join the field by providing mentoring, training, and incentives. Through T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Vermont, we address professional development by encouraging early childhood educators to return to college to increase their knowledge, skills, and credentials. To address retention, we offer our Student Loan Repayment Assistance Program, which assists recent college graduates to stay in early childhood education while managing their student loan debt. We also issue tuition grants, level bonuses, and STARS bonuses to early childhood educators and programs that are committed to professional development and quality systems in the field of early childhood education.

Mission: VTAEYC advances equity and excellence in early childhood education with early childhood educators as our foundation. As a membership organization, we provide resources and advocate for policies that move early childhood education forward now and for the future. (Click here to read our vision and values.)

VTAEYC will present the 2022 Early Childhood Education Student of the Year Award to a student currently enrolled (or graduated in the spring or summer of 2022) in a Vermont high school or college who has demonstrated a passion and commitment to children and their families, a strong academic record, and leadership. This award was created to recognize and honor a student who is preparing for a career in early childhood education, working with and on behalf of children birth through age eight.

This award will be presented at the VTAEYC Annual Early Childhood Education Conference in October 2022 at the Hilton Burlington Lake Champlain. The award recipient is strongly encouraged to attend the award luncheon on October 13th and will receive a complimentary lunch for themselves and one guest. The recipient will also receive a one-year complimentary NAEYC+VTAEYC membership.

The eligibility criteria for this award is as follows. 
1. The nominee must be currently enrolled (or graduated in the spring or summer of 2022) in a Vermont high school, career and technical center, or a university/college course of study related to early childhood education leading to a diploma, certificate, credential, or degree.
2. The nominee must have a strong academic record of a minimum 3.0 GPA.

Nominations are accepted from high schools, career, and technical centers, institutions of higher education, and/or early childhood education programs that employ or place students.

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