SUNNYVALE FAMILY CHILD CARE PROVIDER RECEIVES AWARD

SUNNYVALE, Calif. – Bonnie Hasson, Director of Bonnie’s House, a licensed family child care program, was recently awarded the Tylenol & Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation National Child Care Teacher Award, an annual award program celebrating excellence in quality child care. Hasson was one of 50 child care teachers from 21 states recognized for her commitment and dedication to providing high quality child care.

Applicants were required to design a project for the children in their care that clearly demonstrated its educational, emotional and social benefits. Hasson’s project uses photography to document the learning that takes place in her child care home, with the goal of assisting children with their learning and fostering ongoing communication with parents about their child’s development. The children in her care will be photographed as they engage in activities throughout the day, enabling her to capture the children learning about themselves and their environment in real time. The children will be encouraged to talk about the photographs, what they were doing and how they were feeling when the photo was taken, which helps them take their learning to a higher level.

Hasson stated that she was inspired to use photography in her classroom after taking an early childhood education class that focused on how photography can enhance children’s learning.  With a borrowed camera, she began photographing children engaged in a variety of play and learning activities. To her delight, the children were very excited to see themselves in the pictures, and were eager to talk about what they had learned. Ms. Hasson also plans to educate her fellow child care providers about how photography can enhance children’s learning.

Hasson was awarded a total of $1,000, of which $500 will be used to implement her project and purchase a digital camera and color printer for her program.  This will allow her to document field trips, activities and general play in her classroom on an ongoing basis. The remaining $500 was awarded to recognize her dedication to her profession.

To learn more about Hasson’s project, she can be reached by email at bonbas@aol.com. To learn more about the City of Sunnyvale’s Child Care Services Office, please contact Kristen Nigriny, Child Care Services Manager, at (408) 730-7532, or by email knigriny@ci.sunnyvale.ca.us.