2025 Event
What a night!!! St. Louis’ annual 2025 Early Educators Appreciation Event was a highlight of our year! Ninety-two early educators who have dedicated their lives to education and young children from low-income communities in St. Louis were nominated and celebrated at the Clark Family Branch of the St. Louis County Library on May 4, 2025. Thank you to St. Louis County Executive Sam Page for your opening remarks, Laura Polak with the St. Louis County Library, and Dr. Samantha March with the STL Pre-K Cooperative.
Our five celebrated early childhood awardees included:
2025 Early Educator of Excellence, Jennifer Burgess
2025 Early Childhood Director Above & Beyond, Lisa Scheer
2025 Early Literacy Champion, Sarah Whitney
2025 Home Visitor of the Year, Robin Lloyd
2025 Early Childhood Education Champion, Angela Malone
Thank you to our sponsors Emerson, Gateway Early Childhood Alliance, Turn the Page STL, STL Pre-K Cooperative, the St. Louis Regional Literacy Association and Lakeshore Learning.
What an extraordinary 2025 Early Educators Appreciation Team: City of St. Louis, LUME Institute, Ready Readers, RISE, St. Louis Community College, St. Louis County Library, St. Louis Public Library, The Gateway Early Childhood Alliance, Turn the Page STL, United 4 Children, Urban Sprouts and WEPOWER.
Continue to follow our St. Louis Early Educators Appreciation Event Facebook page at: Facebook
2024 Event
St. Louis’ annual 2024 Early Educators Appreciation Event was a huge success! Forty-six phenomenal early educators were nominated and celebrated at the Missouri History Museum on May 5, 2024. For the 200 attendees, there was valet parking, an elegant dinner, open bars, swag bags, certificates, raffle prizes, and so much laughter! Thank you to Mayor Tishaura Jones for your opening remarks, Lindsay Newton with the Missouri History Museum, Alisha Abbot with PNC Bank, and to our guest speaker, Shaquan A. Grove, who spoke about “Celebrating Resilience: The Heartbeat of Early Childhood Education.”
Our five celebrated early childhood awardees included:
2024 Early Educator of Excellence, Sharon Smith
2024 Early Childhood Director, Above & Beyond, Jessica Black-Gant
2024 Early Literacy Champion, Laura Polak
2024 Home Visitor of the Year, Jeannie Davis
2024 Early Childhood Education Champion, Rochelle Bea
Follow our St. Louis Early Educators Appreciation Event Facebook page at: Facebook
The 2024 Early Educators Event Committee members includes Books for Newborns, City of St. Louis, Gateway Early Childhood Alliance, LUME Institute, Ready Readers, RISE STL, St. Louis Community College, St. Louis County Library, St. Louis Public Library, Alliance, Turn the Page STL, United 4 Children, Urban Sprouts, WEPOWER, Southside Early Childhood Center and Wonderschool.
2023 Event
Our St. Louis city-county wide Early Educators Appreciation Event came back with a roar honoring 200 early educators on April 29, 2023 at Nine PBS with a champagne brunch and awards ceremony. Thirty-six phenomenal educators were nominated and five were recognized as outstanding.
Ms. Tiffany Hardwick - 2023 Early Educator of Excellence
Ms. Adrienne Pennington - 2023 Early Childhood Director Above & Beyond
Ms. Meg Kostecki – 2023 Home Visitor of the Year
Mr. Earl Green - 2023 Early Literacy Champion
Ms. LaDonna Smith - 2023 Early Childhood Education Champion
A 2024 Early Educators Appreciation is currently being planned. Sign up here to receive the 2024 Early Educators Appreciation Event Nomination form that will be distributed in November 2023.
