Honoring Educators, Advocates, & Innovators
Created in 2021, the Early Childhood Champion Awards recognize the early education and childcare providers, preschool teachers, child development specialists, human service providers, healthcare professionals, librarians, policymakers, and advocates who have positively impacted the lives of the NRV’s youngest citizens. Nominations are accepted each spring, and the First Steps Leadership Team selects award recipients, who receive a cash prize from the Community Foundation of the New River Valley.
2024 Early Childhood Champions of the Year
2024 Runner-Up & Honorees
Amanda Cargill Hobin, Runner Up
Amanda Cargill Hobin received six nominations from parents and colleagues at Head Start who describe her as caring, loving, supportive, dedicated, innovative, adaptable, and much more. Parents talked about the care she takes in meeting each student’s specific needs, while colleagues describe her as “a burst of positive energy and enthusiasm [that] radiates off her onto her peers.”
Rosanna Breaux, Honoree
Dr. Rosanna Breaux is the director of the Child Study Center at Virginia Tech and an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology. She was nominated by her supervisor who talked about her extraordinary work with children and parents conducting psychological assessments and connecting families to early intervention and community resources. Her nominator wrote: “Rosanna’s innovative and empathetic approach to care and education has significantly enriched the lives of young children and their families in the NRV.” Congratulations, Rosanna.
Emily Perkins, Honoree
Emily Perkins was nominated by a colleague who wrote at length about her fierce advocacy for the families and staff at Giles Head Start. For more than 25 years, Emily has helped families overcome barriers so their children have what they need to be successful. Her nominator wrote “She is the person you want in your corner when times get tough.”
Cheryl Vaughan, Honoree
Cheryl Vaughan is a therapist and clinic manager at CORA Physical Therapy in Blacksburg. She was nominated by a parent who talked about Cheryl’s work to build her son’s confidence and to build a loving and authentic relationship with him. She also spoke of Cheryl’s willingness to pivot to support both parent and child. She wrote, “it makes such a difference to have providers that take the time to understand your child–to show love to your child. When I think of Cheryl, that’s what I think of–love.”
2024 Nominees
Susan Bailey
Susan Bailey is a teacher at Blacksburg United Methodist Preschool. Her nominator said, “she continually meets children where they are in their journey to school readiness. She is passionate about early childhood development and loves tiny humans wholeheartedly! Susan embraces each child’s individuality and creates meaningful connections with student families.”
Jason Ballard
Jason Ballard is a member of Virginia’s House of Delegates. His nominator said: “Jason advocates for children, families and childcare providers throughout the NRV. This commitment to quality care and early childhood education is shown through his support of providers and public schools. He goes ‘above and beyond’ by meeting with NRV providers to discuss concerns about workforce and funding.”
Melanie Brusseau
Melanie Brusseau is an educator at Radford Early Learning Center. Her nominator shared that “she goes above and beyond to meet every child’s needs in her classroom. She works hard to plan projects to help them learn. Seeing the kids excitement to go into her classroom everyday brings joy to the parents.”
Kayla Crowder
Kayla Crowder is the former director of North Blacksburg KinderCare and now an early childhood education consultant for the Calfee Community & Cultural Center in Pulaski. A parent shared, “She is so devoted to early childhood education. She is consistently providing a rich curriculum/activities and is attentive to every families.” Her colleague shared, “Kayla consistently strives to improve our center beyond what anyone can imagine…She constantly is reminding our teachers how important the experience is for the children that we teach. She creates experiences that will touch families for many years to come.”
Michelle Crowder
Michelle Crowder is an educator at Radford Kindercare. Her nominator said: “she is a wonderful person, an amazing leader, and master of two-year-old teaching. She goes above and beyond each day and is always ready to support others. Shelly works long hours and has close relations with everyone who enters our building. She is flexible to each individual need and always has a smile and a sticker to give out.”
Audrey Kirk
Audrey Kirk is a workforce recruiter at EO. Her nominator said: “over the past year, Audrey has supported over 200 new to the field educators in exploring or entering the field…[she] also goes on to form friendships and continued connections with these newly developing educators so that she can support them as they grow in the field. Audrey’s innovative approach…has been adopted as part of the coursework in NRV community colleges and other areas in the SWVA region.”
Linda Naughton
Linda Naughton is a teacher at Heart ‘n’ Hand Early Learning Center. A parent of a former student said, “Linda has been one of the most influential people in [my son’s] life. We could not parent without the collaboration with Miss Linda!…Linda commits time at home to care for students and to prepare for a great experience while the kids are in her care. It’s more than a job to her, it’s a lifestyle…she without a doubt adds value to the kids and their families lives.”
Sidney Nelson
Sidney Nelson is the director at Kindercare Radford Early Learning Center. Her nominators shared that she has gone above and beyond for the center. They said: “After leadership changes, she brought the team together, became the glue of the center. She is a caring leader and wonderful teacher to learn from, helping the team both grow and learn.” One said: “the team would not be where they are today without Sidney.”
Phillip Norman
Phillip Norman works for Childcare Aware of Virginia. His nominator said: “he strives to learn everything that he can about the early care and education needs in our region. His ability to personally connect with individuals and programs is impressive. Phillip…seek[s] out solutions to support educators with professional development, self care and program improvement.”
Taylor Okes
Taylor Okes is an educator at Head Start. Her nominator said: “She makes every child feel seen, valued and heard. Taylor brings a sense of humor to the classroom that spreads throughout the community like wildfire and ignites a passion and actual joy for the early childhood education setting. When my child was afraid to drop off into class, she ensured she made a routine tailored to him, with activities he would be drawn to. She is a challenging behavior wiz!”
Haden Polseno-Hensley & Rose McCutchan
Haden and Rose own Red Rooster Coffee. After learning of his nomination, Haden asked to include his wife Rose in this recognition. His nominator said: “as a service to [their] employees and the community, Haden and his wife Rose of Red Rooster Coffee created a preschool at their own expense, first for employees then for the Floyd community. Haden recently attended and spoke at the Childhood Innovation Summit in Washington. Haden is a force and as a young entrepreneur he is doing great things here in the NRV advocating for our young people.”
Patricia Sheppard
Patricia Sheppard is a family day home provider. Nominated by a parent, who said: “Patricia is always willing to take care of the children even if it is outside what many consider normal working hours. She is caring and loving towards the children and they all love staying with her. She was willing to keep children later than initially planned when we had a family emergency and could not get there at the original time.”
Taylor Wyatt Step
Taylor Wyatt Step is a teacher at Rainbow Riders Childcare Center. Her nominator said: “she is extremely passionate about early childhood education and best practices. Every day, I see her show up in every way for her students and their families. As a colleague, she inspires me to be a better teacher. Taylor consistently advocates for her students’ best interests but does so in a way that inspires others to follow.”
Kara Thurman
Kara Thurman is an educator at Auburn Elementary. Her nominator said: “she believes all students can learn. Kara knows that not all students come to school ready to learn each day; however, she sets and models clear expectations and holds students accountable. When you step foot in Kara’s class, you’ll feel the warmth and love she brings into her classroom and you will no doubt see students exploring, learning, and gaining confidence.”
Brittany Weber
Brittany Weber is an educator at Radford Early Learning Center. She was nominated by a colleague who notes that Brittany “helps individualize each child’s learning and helps advance them.”
Eileen Weigand
Eileen Weigand is a mental health professional at NRV Community Services. Her nominator said, “She goes out of her way to try and make sure the youth of the NRV have what they need to succeed. When we are out in the community, I always see students approach her with smiles and hugs and have seen parents thank her for service. Eileen believes in students’ resilience and potential for success even if no one else does, and it shows in the impactful stories of lives around her.”
Melissa West
Melissa West is the director of The Mayapple School. Her nominator said: “She has dedicated significant time and effort to creating a unique nature-based preschool were all children can thrive. This school is of huge value in our community where young students are not confined to the limits of indoor space. Creating a vision for a school and executing it is no easy feat. Melissa has had a dream and has worked hard to see it come to fruition.”
Jessica Zolbe
Jessica Zolbe is a teacher at the Virginia Tech Child Development Center for Learning and Research. Her nominator said, “Jessica has consistently maintained a positive affect and high level of engagement with the children. Although she is working with a group of 10 toddlers and two-year-olds, she consistently finds moments in the day to have meaningful interactions with every child. Jessica is a conscientious observer and reflector. She balances all of this while taking classes.”