First Steps, the New River Valley’s Early Childhood Education and Development Network, presented its first-ever Early Childhood Champion Awards at a virtual celebration recently, honoring five individuals who work tirelessly to meet the needs of the New River Valley’s young children and their families.
Leslie Blevins Graham, the lead preschool teacher at Imagination Station in Pearisburg, was chosen as the 2021 Early Childhood Champion of the Year.
Graham has been an educator for fifteen years, working with all age groups at the Imagination Station, most recently focused on helping prepare preschool kids to enter kindergarten healthy, happy, and ready to learn. Twenty-two individuals sent in nominations for Graham, praising her commitment to her students and her constant desire to learn about and implement the very best practices in early childhood education.
Created in 2016, First Steps is an initiative of the Community Foundation of the New River Valley (CFNRV), composed of more than 100 social service agencies, healthcare providers, childcare centers, local government officials, and business leaders. The network’s working groups focus on increasing knowledge about and access to available services for children and families, developing shared values and messaging about the critical importance of early childhood, and supporting and strengthening the early childhood education and development workforce.
The Early Childhood Champion Awards recognize the extraordinary educators, administrators, human service providers, healthcare workers, and advocates who put their passion and expertise to work every day for families and children in the region. The definition of the awards was broad to encompass anyone who makes an impact on young children regardless of their title or affiliation.
First Steps solicited nominations from throughout the community, receiving a total of 52 nominations for 19 individuals. At the awards event, First Steps leaders recognized each of the nominees and announced five award winners: three honorees, a runner-up, and a champion of the year. The winners each received a cash prize provided by the CFNRV.
In addition to Graham, the four award winners were champion runner-up Elizabeth Foster, founder and past president of Valley Interfaith Child Care Center; and three honorees Karen Gallagher from the Virginia Tech Child Development Center for Learning and Research; Sarah Nucci, executive director of Wonder Universe: A Children’s Museum; and Kim Wasil, director of North Blacksburg KinderCare.
