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Local Caregiver Honored As Vermont Association Educator Of Young Children For 2017

Aly Richards, CEO of the Permanent Fund for Vermont’s Children (center) poses with the 2017 Early Educator of the Year Award winner Cheryl “Cookie” Danyow (left) and award finalist Ellen Kraft (right). Danyow and Kraft were honored at the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children (VAEYC) Annual Conference held in Killington, VT on October 12, 2017. ( Permanent Fund )
photo by provided
Aly Richards, CEO of the Permanent Fund for Vermont’s Children (center) poses with the 2017 Early Educator of the Year Award winner Cheryl “Cookie” Danyow (left) and award finalist Ellen Kraft (right). Danyow and Kraft were honored at the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children (VAEYC) Annual Conference held in Killington, VT on October 12, 2017. ( Permanent Fund )
Little Chloe loves to learn and it shows.
photo by provided
Little Chloe loves to learn and it shows.

Tuesday October 24, 2017

By Cookie Steponaitis

Cookie Gill Danyow has had a passion for and worked with young children for the past thirty years. Cookie was born and raised in the Starksboro area and knew from an early age that children were her gift and future. “I started babysitting when I was about ten years old,” shared the Vermont Association Educator of Young Children Teacher of the Year (VAEYC) “and knew I had found my place.” Growing up in a multigenerational home with mom Edna and grandma ‘Nana’ Ethel, Cookie learned how children learn and how to meet them at their own starting place. “I probably started out differently as to how most people become home providers and teachers,” explained Cookie. “I attended the Patricia Hannaford Career Center and right after high school went to work for the Mary Johnson Childcare Center in Middlebury. When I had my first child I tried going back to work and could even bring my child with me, but it wasn’t to be. I knew then that I wanted to be home with my own children and to share my love of nature and learning with others.”
    2017 marks the thirtieth year that Cookie Danyow has been in the education field and while many educators look at that as a date to consider retiring, Danyow has no plans of giving up what she loves and has earned a fair share of praise. Danyow just returned from a three-day conference in Killington where she was awarded the honor of Early Educator of the Year Award and a check for $5,000. The Permanent Fund was founded in 2000 by philanthropists Rick Davis and Carl Ferenbach and exists to help improve the quality of Vermont’s early child care and learning systems and is best known for two state wide initiatives: Vermont Birth to Five and Let’s Grow Kids. The award alternates between center-based providers and home-based providers. Selected not only for her longevity in the lives of young children, Danyow was praised for her educational philosophy of providing a safe, healthy and hands-on learning environment where children can explore and expand at their own pace.
    Danyow is a 2012 graduate of Johnson State College and brings to her young charges a mixture of thirty years of knowledge on what stimulates children to grow and learn and the educational degree that supports with the latest in techniques, research and educational ideas around the growth and development of young children. This year Danyow also added a teaching license to her credentials and became the first outdoor classroom in the state to be certified by Nature Explore since 2013.
    While visiting her Mountain Road Pre-School it is easy to understand how the children thrive in Danyow’s care. No television is in the child care which focuses on science, play, imagination and discovery and welcomes visitors whether young or old. The outdoor area featuring art, music, building blocks, science, climbing and more allows youngsters to explore their world with their hands and senses. “They are being taught while they play,” explained Danyow, “but they really don’t know it.” Fundamental to Danyow’s approach is the belief that all children learn best at their own pace and through play. When asked to share a moment or story that keeps her focused on young children, Danyow quickly responded, “Oh my, there are simply so many. I guess I would have to say that some of the children I work with are not talking or at a certain level of development that they should be for their age. When you see them start talking, using full sentences and really take off it just confirms that I am where I want to be.”
    Mountain Pre-school does have a waiting list and Danyow only takes six children per day. Parents or people who are curious about the program can reach out to her at mountainroadpreschool@
yahoo.com or at mountainroadpreschool
.com. The Emergent Curriculum is based on a child’s interest and passions as well as the teacher’s.
    Danyow’s work with children includes getting outside every day and using the incredible natural world of Addison County to teach science, animal husbandry and stimulate learning and senses. Danyow was “very pleased” to be honored with the recent award and the other exciting developments that 2017 have brought her way, but finds at her 30th year of involvement with children she is not only content but where she will always be. “I have only been out sick one day in the last five years,” grins Cookie Danyow. “So, the parents know they can depend on me and that their children are safe and learning.” As she has already reached second generation level of some families and her earliest charges are the parents of some of her current charges, Danyow chuckled when asked if she intended to stay in the business of children to see a third generation walk right through the door. “Who knows?” smiled the Vermont Early Educator of the Year. “I certainly don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.”


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