Tammy Gosley, lead teacher of the Head Start and Early Head Start Program at United Counseling Service in Bennington, has been named 2023 Vermont Early Childhood Educator of the Year by the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children.
The award honors exceptional early-childhood educators and spotlights the importance of high-quality, early-childhood education for Vermont’s children, families and communities. With award sponsorship from Let’s Grow Kids, Gosley will receive a $2,500 prize and all expenses paid to a National Association for the Education of Young Children conference as well as the state conference.
“Tammy Gosley is celebrated for her high-quality, child-centered, developmentally appropriate practice and her skill at adapting curriculum to her students’ interests,” said VTAEYC Executive Director Sharron Harrington. “Equally impressive is her career-long commitment to her own education and learning.”
In addition to Early Childhood Educator of the Year, VTAEYC presented awards in November that recognize excellence and advocacy among individuals at all career stages who are working both within and in support of early-childhood education. The awardees are:
- Children’s Champion — State Rep. Jessica Brumsted of Shelburne.
- Distinguished Service — Betsy Rathbun-Gunn, director of Bennington County Head Start and Early Head Start.
- Early Childhood Education Student of the Year — Matthew Moore, recent graduate of the Community College of Vermont.
- Emerging Leader — Caitlin D’Onofrio, early-childhood educator at Robin’s Nest Children’s Center in Burlington.
- Outstanding Members — Kaitlin Northey, assistant professor of early-childhood education at the University of Vermont, and April Zajko, early-childhood educator and faculty member at Community College of Vermont.