(Left to Right) Katie Thompson, Executive Director, Pulaski Community Youth Center; Margaret Hurst, First Steps Program Coordinator, Community Foundation of the New River Valley; Bonnie Graham, NRCC Professor of Human Services And Early Childhood Education; Kim Thomason, VT Early Childhood Education Initiatives Program Manager and VA AEYC Conference Committee; Emily Perkins, Head Start Giles County Site Administrator and New River Valley VA AEYC Leadership Team.
New River Community College Program Head and Professor of Human Services and Early Childhood Bonnie Graham was recently recognized by the Virginia Association for the Education of Young Children (VAAEYC) as the 2024 recipient of the VAAEYC Outstanding Service to Young Children Award. The award was presented to Graham at the VAAEYC annual conference held in March in Roanoke, Va.
The board unanimously agreed to honor Graham with the award for her “tireless efforts to mentor and educate young men and women in quality care and educator practices and ensure that children in the region have access to quality care,” according to her award letter.
“Bonnie is so deserving of this honor. She has dedicated herself to ensuring quality early childhood experiences by preparing hundreds of her students to implement best practices with young children in their care,” said Dr. Sarah Tolbert-Hurysz, NRCC dean of arts and sciences. “The New River Valley is fortunate to have such a strong advocate working on early childhood initiatives.”
Graham is a college student advisor for the New River Valley chapter of the VAAEYC. The organization’s (VAAEYC) goal is to serve Virginia early childhood educators with community, professional development support, connections, and advocacy. For more information about NRCC’s early childhood development programs, visit https://www.nr.edu/ecd/.
New River Community College
