Prime Minister's Awards
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2009 Guidelines and Nomination Form
The early years of children's lives are critical. The educators who teach and nurture young children have an impact that will last for the rest of their lives. For most children, at least one educator will stand out as someone who encouraged, enabled and inspired them to be their very best when they were very young. The Prime Minister's Awards (PMAs) for Excellence in Early Childhood Education (ECE) honour outstanding and innovative early childhood educators who excel at fostering the early development and socialization of the children in their care, and at helping build the foundation children need to meet life's challenges.
- Awards
- Recognition
- Promotion
- Eligibility
- Nominators
- Renomination
- How Recipients are Chosen
- Selection Criteria
- Helpful Hints in Preparing a Nomination Text
- How to Apply
- Nomination Deadline
- Assembling a Nomination Package
- Format
- Acknowledgements
- Checklist
- Nomination Form
- PDF Format
Awards
- Up to 10 Certificates of Excellence (national level), each including a financial award of $5,000.
- Up to 15 Certificates of Achievement (regional level), each including a financial award of $1,000.
Certificates of Excellence are awarded to the 10 top-ranked nominees, with at least one award designated for each of the following regions: British Columbia; Prairies; the North (Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut); Ontario; Quebec; and Atlantic Canada and at least one of the Certificates of Excellence is designated for the top-ranked Aboriginal early childhood educator.
The next top ranked nominees (up to a maximum of 15) each receive a Certificate of Achievement. At least one of the Certificates of Achievement is awarded annually to an Aboriginal early childhood educator.
Financial awards for the Certificates of Excellence are shared evenly between the recipient and the recipient’s ECE setting (as identified on the nomination form) to be spent under the recipient’s direction. If a winning educator changes ECE settings, financial awards go to the ECE setting at which the recipient was working at the time of nomination. Financial awards for the Certificates of Achievement are sent directly to recipients.
Financial awards may be used for professional development, equipment, resource materials or other tools to improve developmental programming and children’s experiences related to the educator’s work.
Recognition
All recipients receive a certificate, PMA pin and letter of congratulations from the Prime Minister of Canada.
Certificate of Excellence recipients may also be invited to participate in best practice sessions and attend a special event where the Prime Minister will formally announce the PMA recipients and present them with their award certificates.
Certificate of Achievement winners are honoured at local events with children, supervisors, colleagues and local Members of Parliament or local leaders attending, as appropriate.
Each recipient's early childhood education setting, when applicable, also receives a certificate, signed by the Prime Minister, recognizing its support and contribution to the educator's achievement.
Promotion
The achievements of all recipients are promoted both nationally and in the educators' home communities. Certificate of Excellence recipients are profiled (with their permission) in the Prime Minister's Awards Exemplary Practices publication, which can be viewed across Canada and around the world at www.pma.gc.ca Certificate of Achievement recipients are also highlighted in this publication.
Eligibility
Upon submission of the nomination by April 20, 2009, all nominees must meet the following criteria:
- Nominees must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
- Nominees must work a minimum of 2.5 days a week providing direct education and care to young children in a licensed early childhood education setting (as defined by provincial or territorial government regulations.) This requirement is waived for nominees who work in Aboriginal Head Start sites on and off reserve or in early childhood education settings on reserve where there is no applicable provincial or territorial government licensing. Full-time centre administrators are not eligible for this award.
- Nominees must have successfully completed training in early childhood education and care as follows (copy of training certification must be provided with nomination):
- degree, diploma or certificate in early childhood education and care;
- official certification as an early childhood educator in the province or territory where the nominee is working; or
- successfully completed a training program in family child care.
- Nominees must have worked in a licensed Canadian early childhood education setting for at least three years and still be gainfully employed in an ECE setting at the time of the nomination deadline (April 20, 2009).
Posthumous nominations are not accepted.
The Prime Minister's Awards are designed to honour the overall accomplishments of a single educator or a team of up to three educators. The program is not intended to recognize the achievements of an entire early childhood education setting or staff. Each member of a team must meet the eligibility requirements described above. Any cash award is to be shared equally among the team members.
Educators who are not eligible for this award may be eligible for the Prime Minister's Awards for Teaching Excellence. Nomination guidelines are available at
Nominators
Nominators may be any person or group with direct knowledge of the nominee's contribution (i.e. parent of child in care, co-worker, supervisor, fellow educator, etc.). However, self-nominations or nominations received from a nominee's direct family member will not be accepted.
Renomination
Recipients of a Certificate of Achievement may be re-nominated for a Certificate of Excellence in a subsequent year, but are ineligible for a second Achievement award. Unsuccessful nominees may also be re-nominated in a subsequent year.
In all cases, a complete and current nomination package must be submitted, including letters of support written during the current nomination period.
Previous recipients of a Certificate of Excellence are not eligible.
How Recipients Are Chosen
A committee of early childhood education and care practitioners and stakeholders from across Canada review all nominations received for the Prime Minister's Awards (see current list of organizations represented in the selection committee on the program website at www.pma.gc.ca).
Nomination packages are evaluated by selection committee members based on how well the nominee meets the selection criteria below. Nominees are then ranked based on the score received against the selection criteria and the top-ranked individuals are recommended to the Prime Minister for recognition.
Selection Criteria
Award recipients are selected based on their innovative approaches and outstanding ability to engage and support the development of the children in their care, and on their overall commitment to the development of children and the early childhood education and care profession. While an exemplary project or practice may form part of a nomination, nominees are judged on their overall merits as educators.
In selecting award recipients, the committee looks for clear evidence that nominees have excelled in all four areas described below.
1. Support of child development
The nomination text should describe and provide evidence of how the educator provides daily experiences that support and promote each child's physical, emotional, social, cognitive, ethical and creative development, such as the following:
- optimizing each child's unique development;
- encouraging children's interest and participation;
- providing stimulating and engaging learning environments for all children;
- developing and maintaining warm, caring and responsive relationships with each child and with the group of children;
- using observation to assess children's skills, abilities, interests and needs; and
- using developmentally appropriate "best practices."
2. Innovation
The nomination text should describe and provide concrete examples of the educator's use of innovative and creative approaches to encourage and support child development, such as the following:
- capturing and maintaining children’s interest;
- exploring new or different ideas with children;
- recognizing and adapting to children's special needs (including physical, emotional, social, cognitive and creative needs);
- recognizing and including diverse economic, cultural, linguistic and regional perspectives in the learning environment;
- respecting and promoting children's home language and cultural heritage;
- incorporating events and activities occurring in children's lives in the learning environment;
- incorporating international, national, local and community events and activities in the learning environment.
3. Involvement with parents, families and the community
The nomination text should describe and provide concrete examples of the educator's efforts to involve and engage parents, families and the community in children's education and care, such as the following:
- developing and maintaining open, cooperative relationships with each child's family;
- encouraging active parent, family and community involvement in children's learning;
- developing and using innovative approaches to engaging and supporting parents and families;
- fostering community contacts or partnerships that encourage or complement children's learning and activities;
- developing and maintaining relationships with others in the early childhood education setting, such as colleagues or with other community services involved with the children.
4. Commitment and leadership in the field
The nomination text should show evidence of the educator's ongoing professional development and commitment to improving the early childhood education and care field and to enhancing the ability of others in the profession, such as the following:
- engaging in ongoing personal professional growth and learning;
- organizing or delivering professional development courses, workshops or other development activities;
- developing and disseminating learning materials, resources and best practices;
- providing support or training to other professionals in the field (such as mentoring and training of students);
- fostering or contributing to the development of a team environment within their own early childhood education setting;
- being actively involved in a professional organization, network or association related to early childhood education and care.
Helpful Hints in Preparing A Nomination Text
Follow the criteria set out in the nomination guidelines. Provide adequate detail for each of the four categories of selection criteria. You may wish to organize your text using the same headings.
Provide concrete examples and details to show how the nominee has met the selection criteria and explain the impact of the educator's efforts. Describe any special projects or activities, philosophies, unique learning environments, or child reactions, outcomes or achievements that make this educator stand out.
Focus on the nominee's overall achievements. Show that the nominee is well rounded in her or his overall work, not just in one particular project. Include activities the nominee participates in to support the development of the children in her or his care, the setting in which she or he works, colleagues and the early childhood education and care field (such as volunteer work, professional development, advocacy or social events).
How to Apply
Once you have identified one outstanding early childhood educator or a team of educators, develop a nomination package following the guidelines and checklist provided.
- Each nomination package must include a completed copy of the attached PMA nomination form. This form is also available on the Internet (www.pma.gc.ca).
- Forms must be signed by the nominee and the nominator, as well as by the nominee's supervisor, when applicable.
- When there is more than one nominee, please copy and complete a separate form for each.
- When more than one nomination package is received for an educator, nominators will be asked to combine their packages.
Nomination Deadline
The deadline for nominations is April 20, 2009.
Assembling a Nomination Package
An effective nomination package illustrates the outstanding achievements of the nominee and clearly explains why she or he should receive one of Canada's highest honours for early childhood educators. As a nominator, you are "painting a picture" of a nominee's achievements for a selection committee that reviews many applications, so the package should be compelling.
Your complete nomination package must not exceed 20 pages excluding ECE certification, ECE setting's operating license and checklist.
Format
Typewritten and double-spaced. All information should be typewritten in a font no smaller than 10 point and double-spaced on 8½" x 11" paper.
One-sided.To ensure ease of reproduction, please print on one side only.
Packaging. Creative packaging can certainly make a nomination package stand out. Unfortunately, the selection committee members do not get the opportunity to see it. Therefore, simple packaging is recommended.
Binding. For ease of reproduction, please do not bind your nomination package.
Five Copies. In addition to the original, please include five copies of the complete package.
Please send nomination packages to the following address
Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Early Childhood Education
Industry Canada
Jean Edmonds Tower North
300 Slater Street, 20th floor
Ottawa ON K1A 0C8
Fax: 613-998-0943
For more information, please send an e-mail to pmaece-ppmepe@gc.ca or call 613-946-0651.
Acknowledgements
Industry Canada, Health Canada and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, as partners in the Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Early Childhood Education, gratefully acknowledge all of the stakeholders, experts, practitioners and government officials who provided advice on the development of this award.
In addition, numerous organizations and individuals involved in early childhood education and care take part in the award selection process. The program could not function without the participation of these volunteers. A list of the participating organizations is available on the program website at www.pma.gc.ca.
Checklist
- To facilitate the preparation of the nomination package and its review by the PMA office, you may want to attach this checklist to your nomination package.
Nomination Form
- Note: Print and complete one Nomination Form for each nominee.
PDF Version
If the following document is not accessible to you, please contact us to obtain other appropriate formats.
The following documents are available for downloading or viewing:
- Guidelines and Nomination Form — Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Early Childhood Education — 2009 (PDF, 409 KB, 16 pages)
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