FAIRFAX FUTURES PRESENTS 2007
SCHOOL READINESS EDUCATOR AWARD RECIPIENTS

Fairfax Futures Recognizes Two Early Childhood Educators for Creating Community Connections to Support Children’s School Readiness

Dr. Anita Blain is currently principal at Wolftrap Elementary School in Vienna, VA. As a leader and role model in Fairfax County Public Schools, Dr. Blain has created strategies to encourage parents and teachers to form solid relationships before children set foot in the kindergarten classroom.

Second from the left, Dr. Anita Blain, Principal at Wolftrap Elementary School in
Vienna, VA

Throughout her career, Dr. Blain has used creative approaches to make parents feel welcome in her school. She empowers parents to become effective advocates for their children. As past principal at Timber Lane Elementary School, she reached out to families of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, making home visits to small groups of parents whose children were getting ready for kindergarten.

Dr. Blain also supports smooth transitions into kindergarten by inviting her neighborhood preschool community to bring children for tours at her school. She has shared her expertise with Fairfax County Public Schools’ Transition Team and with other principals interested in learning transition practices that foster positive relationships and support children’s successful adjustment to kindergarten.

Elizabeth Powers is currently a teacher at ACCA Child Development Center in Annandale, VA. As an early childhood educator who began her career in 1985 as a family child care provider, Ms. Powers earned her Child Development Associate certification and then a Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development from George Mason University. She was recently one of the first educators to complete Fairfax County’s New School Readiness Certificate.

Second from the left, Elizabeth Powers, teacher at ACCA Child Development Center in
Annandale, VA

Ms. Powers has presented workshops and trainings on a variety of topics for family child care providers and has been a mentor in the child care community. She has been taking Spanish classes for three and a half years to enhance communications with Latino children and their families. She has developed creative strategies to help parents understand what their children are learning and experiencing at the child care center each day.

Ms. Powers partners with families to support children’s emerging literacy and school readiness. She has worked hard to foster relationships between the families at her center and the local elementary schools to which the children are transitioning.

Also see the Press Release (PDF - 24 Kb)
Also read About the School Readiness Educator Award (PDF - 25 Kb)

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