Brown wins $1,000 child care teacher award

NICEVILLE — The Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation has recognized a Crestview business owner as a recipient of the 2018 Terri Lynne Lokoff/Children’s Tylenol National Child Care Teacher Award.

The winner, Northwest Florida State College student Tawanda Brown, owns the Brown Family Child Care Home in Crestview.

The foundation chooses from a nationwide pool of applicants for the early child care and education honor. Brown will receive an award of $1,000 at 7 p.m. on April 14 at a special ceremony at Marriot Courtyard Downtown in Philadelphia, Penn.

There are a total of 50 National Child Care Teacher Award recipients for 2018. Each designed an enhancement project that illustrates the educational, social and emotional benefits for the children in their care. With a grant from the awards program, Brown will implement her project, Explore More. 

“My project is based on the idea of supporting extended playing and learning across multiple domains," Brown said. "I envision boxes, which would include one or more components in each of these areas: math, science, social-emotional, physical movement (and) the arts.

"Because my children are a mixed-age group, I try to provide materials that are open-ended and adaptable for various developmental stages from simple to complex. My first box will feature 'The Mermaid' by Jan Brett and 'Big Al' by Andrew Clements," she said.

Brown previously won the SkillsUSA college competition, regional competition and state competition in Early Childcare and she was the college’s first national gold medalist at the SkillsUSA national competition.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Brown wins $1,000 child care teacher award