Goddard Systems, Inc. Celebrates Extraordinary Early Childhood Educators from Across the Country

Annual Teacher of the Year Awards Presented to 12 Teachers for Dedication to Students

Goddard Systems, Inc. (GSI), the franchisor of The Goddard School, a leading premium childcare provider, is honored to recognize 12 teachers from across the country for their outstanding efforts and commitment to students this past year.

Now in their 16^th year, The Goddard School Teacher of the Year Awards recognize Goddard School educators who use their passion for teaching to foster a sense of joy in the learning process. This year, teachers from across The Goddard School’s nearly 600 locations were nominated by school owners, fellow teachers and families in four classroom categories (infant, toddler, preschool/pre-k and kindergarten/school-age) across three regions (east, central and west). Twelve teachers, which includes one grand prize Teacher of the Year winner, were chosen for their embodiment of competence, leadership, creativity and a nurturing demeanor.

"Teachers are some of the most influential people in young children’s lives, and I am so honored to celebrate and recognize their resilience and dedication to Goddard students and families,” said Dennis R. Maple, chairman and CEO of GSI. “As we entered the second year of the pandemic, Goddard School teachers across the country displayed creativity, fun, nurturing care and a steadfast commitment to the families they serve. Thanks to their tireless efforts, students across Goddard Schools continue to learn and thrive.”

12 Regional Winners
This year’s 12 winning Goddard teachers were selected from more than 1,250 nominations. From creating take-home learning kits and hosting virtual classes during the pandemic, to taking students on nature hikes and reading and singing in multiple languages, all 12 regional winners created strong bonds between home and school and incorporated their own passions into their teaching while continuing to ensure the health and safety of their students. In addition to being named a 2022 Goddard School Teacher of the Year, GSI gifted each of the regional winners a $1,000 cash award and dedicated a custom set of Life Lesson Library books, Goddard’s exclusive social-emotional development curriculum, to each school in the teacher’s name. Congratulations to the following teachers:

East Region Winners:

• Jennifer Wolfsheimer — Forest Hill, MD, Infant Classroom
• Lisa Noll — Marlboro (Morganville), NJ, Toddler Classroom
• Amanda Cervetti — Lithia (FishHawk), FL, Preschool/Pre-K Classroom
• Victoria Bassett — Gaithersburg (Kentlands), MD, Kindergarten/School-Age Classroom

Central Region Winners:

• Britney Kramer — Pleasant Prairie, WI, Infant Classroom
• Nora Bahnsen — Darien, IL, Toddler Classroom
• Jennifer Davis — Pleasant Prairie, WI, Preschool/Pre-K Classroom
• Albina Fernando — Mason, OH, Kindergarten/School-Age Classroom

West Region Winners:

• Teisha Thornberry — Clackamas (Happy Valley), OR, Infant Classroom
• Jennifer Blue — Lewisville (Castle Hills), TX, Toddler Classroom
• Valerie Womack — Keller, TX, Preschool/Pre-K Classroom
• Steven Nguyen — San Ramon, CA, Kindergarten/School-Age Classroom

Grand Prize Winner
In addition to being a regional winner, The Goddard School of Gaithersburg’s Victoria Bassett was named The Goddard School Teacher of the Year Awards’ grand prize winner. During her tenure, Bassett has positively impacted the lives of hundreds of students and families. In addition to teaching her kindergarten class, Bassett is the school-wide American Sign Language (ASL) instructor and worked with a co-teacher to align ASL with the school’s Spanish language enrichment program. During the pandemic, Bassett was instrumental in developing an effective distance learning program for students of all ages. She worked around the clock to create hundreds of video lessons and corresponding take-home bags and supplies for families. She also held daily group and individual virtual lessons, assessments and parent-teacher conferences. As the grand prize winner, GSI celebrated Bassett with an additional $5,000 cash award.

"In early childhood education, the importance of nurturing the partnership between home and school and supporting children’s social and emotional development is just as critical as each child’s academic growth,” said Lauren Starnes, chief academic officer of GSI. “These 12 winners offer all these things and more every day to the students they serve. I thank them for all they do to make the world a better place through early childhood education.”

For more information about The Goddard School, The Goddard School Teacher of the Year Awards and this year’s winners, please visit GoddardSchool.com.