Teachers are some of the most influential people in young children’s lives and are one of the keys to success for our Goddard Schools.

Teacher of the Year 2024

We received so many amazing Teacher of the Year submissions. Check back in May to find out who won!

2023 Grand Prize Winner

Mr. Alex Kindergarten Teacher - Collegeville, PA

Mr. Alex is a beloved teacher among staff, current and previous families. Children who have graduated from his kindergarten program return years later to visit, and more than one student has shared that it was their time with him that made learning a fun and memorable experience.

Mr. Alex’s teaching style is genuine, authentic and practical. He breaks concepts down into relatable, everyday stories and activities that have practical applications in a child’s everyday life. When teaching science, health and math, he incorporates food and cooking, and has the children actively participate in all aspects of preparation. When teaching social studies and about different world cultures and communities, he invites families to share aspects of their culture. Mr. Alex organized a 1K run/fundraiser and taught the children the importance of giving back. At the end of the day, being a teacher is more than teaching, it’s about inspiring, which is what Mr. Alex does each day!

WEST REGIONAL WINNERS

Ms. Montserrat Infant Teacher - Lewisville (Castle Hills), TX

Ms. Montserrat is an exceptional teacher who gives families peace of mind that their babies are in loving hands. She is described as not just Teacher of the Year, but teacher of a lifetime. 

Her ability to care for and teach children is evident in the intellectual growth and developmental progress of her students. Ms. Montserrat is genuine, kind and easily connects with both children and parents. She provides developmentally appropriate toys and activities for her little learners and offers empathetic advice and guidance to families and colleagues. Ms. Montserrat is a mentor to other teachers, and her strong leadership has created a loving and supportive environment in her classroom. Ms. Montserrat's ability to connect with and care for her students has earned her high praise and admiration from parents and colleagues alike.

Ms. Norma Toddler Teacher - Frisco, TX

Ms. Norma is a caring and compassionate educator. She goes out of her way to comfort and reassure her students, especially when they are struggling with separation anxiety or other big feelings.

This creates a positive learning environment where children feel safe, loved and supported. Ms. Norma is creative and hands-on, which has helped her students learn and grow. She always has new ideas for lessons and experiments, which keeps her students engaged and excited coming to school every day. Children in her class learn new words and expand their vocabulary every single day leaving families in awe. Ms. Norma is an amazing teacher who deserves recognition for her hard work, dedication, and impact on her students' lives.

Ms. Olivia Preschool/Pre-K Teacher - Denver (Highlands), CO

Ms. Olivia is a passionate, creative and dedicated teacher. Her lesson plans are full of engaging activities that turn academic concepts into playful experiences that help children absorb lessons and skills they will need for kindergarten.

She lets her students’ interests lead the way for creative lessons. Recently, Ms. Olivia created a lesson plan on Martin Luther King, Jr. called “stick with love.” After a discussion about MLK Jr., she emphasized spreading love in the world. Her students crafted “I love you hands,” decorating an outline of the American Sign Language sign. After the initial activity, the children requested the hands for more and more good deeds. It has grown into a long-term, School-wide project. It’s a beautiful display of child-led, project-based education and community stewardship!

Ms. Gay Kindergarten Teacher - Carlsbad, CA

Ms. Gay was promoted to be a curriculum manager, but she continues to teach the kindergarten program because that’s where her heart belongs. She wants to make sure children are fully prepared for 1st grade and beyond.

The class is full every single year because once families find out Ms. Gay teaches it, they immediately sign up. She helps children learn the alphabet through a fun alphabet marrying activity, based on the book The Wedding of Q and U. Ms. Gay supports her students’ social, emotional and educational learning, and helps them build the confidence needed to become leaders in their own way.

MIDWEST REGIONAL WINNERS

Ms. Katelyn Infant Teacher - Bentonville, AR

Ms. Katelyn is an exceptional educator. She cares for and teachers the littlest learners in a way that ensures families understand the value of infant education.

Ms. Katelyn takes the time to love and nurture her infants. She always makes time for the smallest moments because those moments are often the most important. She has a special fondness for “happy trash” and loose parts play. Each week, Ms. Katelyn changes visuals on the lower walls and floors for her litter learners, she works hard to expose them to a worldwide variety of cultures through music and constantly creates exciting explorations. Her passion for infant education is palpable — and contagious. Other teachers have been inspired by Ms. Katelyn's drive toward best practices in all aspects of her classroom.

Ms. Kelly Toddler Teacher - Skokie, IL

Ms. Kelly is an amazing teacher who demonstrates thorough knowledge of child development and applies it to create engaging and appropriate learning experiences for her students.

She is an expert at finding teachable moments throughout the day and setting up dramatic play scenarios that help inspire the children's budding sense of imagination. Ms. Kelly's creative curriculum includes simple sensory activities that prompt curiosity and giggles from her students. Her nurturing nature is reflected in how she engages with the children during these activities, staying within arm's reach to encourage exploration and inquiry, while ensuring their safety. Ms. Kelly takes the time to connect with each child, helping them build confidence and independence. She also communicates effectively with parents, keeping them informed of their child's progress.

Ms. Kierra Preschool/Pre-K Teacher - Chicago (South Loop), IL

Ms. Keira is a skilled and dedicated teacher. She personalizes learning experiences to meet the needs of her children and takes every student's success as her personal goal.

She creates lesson plans that are engaging, age-appropriate and challenging and her teaching style fosters critical thinking, problem-solving and creativity in her students. Ms. Keira is committed to creating a culturally inclusive classroom. She has taken it upon herself to learn multiple languages, including Spanish, Hindi and Greek, to ensure that all of her students' cultures are represented in the classroom. She celebrates diversity and creates a welcoming environment where all children feel valued and respected. Ms. Kierra was instrumental in organizing Bike-a-thon for fundraising on behalf of the School. The event was a huge hit among preschool and pre-k families. Ms. Kierra volunteered to speak about teacher motivation on a professional development day helping teachers find their why and keeping them focused on their purpose.

Ms. Karen Kindergarten - Elgin, IL

Ms. Karen is a talented, compassionate and gifted teacher. The children in her class can tell how much she loves them and know that she wants the very best for them.

She brings new ideas to the classroom every day through art, videos and new ways of thinking to resolve real-life problems that make sense to the children. After working all day in the classroom, Ms. Karen voluntarily reviews the entire School’s lesson plans. She provides supervision, ideas and recommended changes to the entire School. She also runs an in-house Child Development Associate program for assistant teachers. She gives them weekly assignments, reviews their submissions and coordinates the development of their portfolio! She’s creating lifelong teachers on site.

SOUTHEAST REGIONAL WINNERS

Ms. Jer’Terika Infant Teacher - Cordova, TN

Ms. Jer’Terika provides reliable and compassionate care to the littlest learners that gives families great peace of mind knowing their children are well-loved at School every day.

Ms. Jer’Terika has remarkable communication skills and consistently keeps families informed about their babies’ progress, weekly activities, changes or challenges and other important information. This helps keeps families connected to their infants and helps them support their development at home. Ms. Jer’Terika takes a holistic approach to childcare by not only tending to children’s basic needs but also encouraging them to explore, play, express themselves creatively and take part in meaningful activities that foster physical, emotional and intellectual growth. Children flourish under Ms. Jer’Terika’s loving guidance.

Ms. Tracee Toddler - Raleigh (5401 North), NC

Ms. Tracee is an engaging, knowledgeable and patient teacher who loves who students. She effortlessly structures her day while also allowing children freedom to explore their interests.

Her passion for teaching shines through her lessons and how she communicates with families. She readily offers helpful advice on all aspects of toddlerhood from how to stop biting to potty training and learning to try new foods. She expertly helps children manage their big feelings. Ms. Tracee’s endless patience helps her foster a classroom environment where all children feel seen, heard and loved.

Ms. Baochau Preschool/Pre-K - Midlothian (Woodlake), VA

Ms. Baochau lives and breathes for her students and spends countless hours developing and perfecting curriculum that will help enhance their time in her class. She makes learning fun, which encourages students to succeed.

She built a vegetable stand out of wood, painted it and brought it into the classroom for imaginative play. The display is redone every couple of months with a new theme, and the children absolutely love it. Additionally, Ms. Baochau created a Facebook page only for the parents of her class to keep them informed. She creates monthly bulletins including important days and celebrations for the following month and what topics the class will be learning.

Ms. Kate Kindergarten Teacher - Gainesville, VA

Ms. Kate is often referred to as "Mary Poppins." She’s known for her steadfast involvement and enthusiasm when working with children and families. She uniquely and creatively engages her students through classroom projects such as elections, group challenges, family involvement and more.

Ms. Kate has a knack for calming children, no matter the circumstances or behavior, and figuring out what works best for them. She consistently keeps up with early childhood development best practices, implements them in the classroom and is resolute in her commitment to the social-emotional development of children. For example, three years ago, Ms. Kate initiated a “bucket-filling” program to promote kindness and self-awareness for preschool children in the choices they make and their interactions with others. Because of this, the School regularly uses “bucket filling” with the 3- and 4-year-olds.

NORTHEAST REGIONAL WINNERS

Ms. Crystal Infant Teacher - Flemington, NJ

Parents say that all of their trepidations around finding the right preschool for their children dissipated when they met Ms. Crystal. She genuinely cares about all the students in her class.

She knows each family and child deeply, which enables her to foster a caring classroom community. Ms. Crystal’s deep understanding of each child means she easily differentiates her instruction throughout the day to encourage and engage children in hands-on activities. She has become an invaluable extension of every student’s family.

Ms. Jean Toddler Teacher - Hillsborough, NJ

Ms. Jean’s commitment to the success and growth of children in her toddler program is unmatched. Each day she provides activities that stimulate language, learning and social-emotional growth with an endless amount of patience for the children and families in her care.

Through her years at Goddard, Ms. Jean has potty-trained half of Hillsborough, assisted countless families in finding speech or occupational therapy support and tirelessly worked outside of school hours to ensure that her classroom is a place where children can be their absolute best. Ms. Jean also runs her own hugely popular Parent's Night Out babysitting program at the School on weekends.

Ms. Heidi Preschool/Pre-K Teacher - Marlboro (Morganville), NJ

Ms. Heidi's professionalism, passion, initiative and creativity exemplifies what it means to be an exceptional teacher. Children easily gravitate to Ms. Heidi. She recognizes children's special needs and effectively implements modifications to foster each child's growth and social-emotional needs.

Ms. Heidi understands the benefits of encouraging a curious mindset in her young learners, and her students get to try new things based on their individual interests. She’s always the first to lend a hand to her peers and the administration. She plans, prepares and implements the annual pre-kindergarten graduation ceremony and winter holiday show. She was instrumental in supporting the School director in preparing for NAEYC evaluation and accreditation. She is a friendly face who always welcomes new, less experienced teachers with open arms, and happily shares her guidance and expertise.

Mr. Alex Kindergarten Teacher - Collegeville, PA

Mr. Alex is a beloved teacher among staff, current and previous families. Children who have graduated from his kindergarten program return years later to visit, and more than one student has shared that it was their time with him that made learning a fun and memorable experience.

Mr. Alex’s teaching style is genuine, authentic and practical. He breaks concepts down into relatable, everyday stories and activities that have practical applications in a child’s everyday life. When teaching science, health and math, he incorporates food and cooking, and has the children actively participate in all aspects of preparation. When teaching social studies and about different world cultures and communities, he invites families to share aspects of their culture. Mr. Alex organized a 1K run/fundraiser and taught the children the importance of giving back. At the end of the day, being a teacher is more than teaching, it’s about inspiring, which is what Mr. Alex does each day!

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