Portland, Ore. (May 8, 2018) — This week is national Teacher Appreciation Week and KinderCare Education (KCE), the nation’s largest private provider of early childhood education and care, has more than 27,600 reasons to celebrate as they honor and thank each of their teachers for the powerful bond they create with their students.

“Our teachers are the foundation of everything we do,” said Dr. Elanna Yalow, KinderCare Education’s Chief Academic Officer. “Our teachers take the great programs our education team creates and turn them into magic in their classrooms. They build confidence in children every day. Just as important, they build confidence in our families. Our parents know that when they drop their child off in the morning their child will have an amazing day making new friends and learning new skills. I could not be more proud of our teachers.”

In addition to the celebrations happening at each center and site this week, KCE is also honoring their 2017 Legacy Award winners. The awards reflect KCE’s belief that outstanding teachers truly do leave a legacy for the children in their care. Each year, the company’s best early childhood and school-age educators are named KinderCare Education Legacy Award Winners and receive a cash award of $10,000 and an all-expenses paid trip to the National Support Center in Portland, Oregon. Since its inception, 65 teachers have earned the award.

“All of our KinderCare Education Legacy Award Winners are masterful teachers who bring a heartfelt passion and sense of purpose to their classrooms,” said Dr. Yalow. “These educators are superheroes, role models, and mentors within the communities in which they teach. Their passion inspires children to become curious learners for life—and that’s what our legacy is all about.”

The KinderCare Education 2017 Legacy Award Winners are:

• Rita Seidel, a prekindergarten teacher at the Gunn KinderCare in Tampa, Fla.
• Kerri Kubacki, a Champions teacher in the Boston area
• April Dandurand, a discovery preschool teacher from the Westlakes KinderCare in Des Moines, Iowa
• Dana Davin, a preschool teacher at the Mt. Lebanon KinderCare in Mt. Lebanon, Penn.
• Ann Fisher, an infant teacher at the Victorville KinderCare in Victorville, Calif.

KCE encourages everyone to reach out to the teachers in their lives and express their appreciation and thanks this week through the website www.GratitudeKCE.com.

About KinderCare Education^®

KinderCare Education is an experience-based provider of early education and child care with more than 32,000 employees, including more than 27,600 teachers, serving 170,000 families every day, where they need us:

• In neighborhoods with our KinderCare® Learning Centers that offer early childhood education and child care for children six weeks to 12 years old,
• At work through KinderCare Education at Work™, family-focused benefits for employers including on-site and near-site early learning centers and back-up care for last-minute child care, and
• In local schools with our Champions® before and after-school programs.

KinderCare Education operates more than 1,300 early learning centers, more than 500 Champions sites, and is supported by a corporate team of nearly 500 headquarters employees based in Portland, Oregon. In 2018, KinderCare Education earned their second Gallup Great Workplace Award – one of only 39 companies worldwide to do earn this award. To learn more, visit kc-education.com.  

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