CCV plays a key role in supporting early childhood and afterschool educators across Vermont. Through certificate and degree programs, as well as Northern Lights at CCV, the hub of the professional development system for early childhood and afterschool workforce, CCV helps thousands of educators gain and grow their skills.
Last week, current and former students received awards from the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children (VTAEYC) and Vermont Afterschool. Congratulations to the many dedicated professionals who were recognized by both organizations.
Professional of the Year
At its annual conference on Friday, Vermont Afterschool named Amanda Fouda its Professional of the Year. Fouda is the school-based youth program director at The Collaborative, a substance misuse prevention organization serving Windham, Windsor, and Bennington Counties.
She began her career in education shortly after moving to Vermont and pivoting from a background in journalism. She started the Collaborative’s afterschool program, which serves children ages 5-12, and hasn’t looked back. “I’m not just their afterschool teacher. I know all about their lives; I’ve befriended their parents. I know all about their days, their hardships. Most of the kids I see now I started when they were in third grade and now they’re in seventh. Watching them grow up is just fun.”
Vermont Afterschool supported Amanda in taking CCV classes to expand her knowledge. She hopes to eventually complete an associate degree; she believes lifelong learning is essential in her field.
“In order to teach and influence young people you need to stay educated yourself because everything keeps changing,” she said. As for the Vermont Afterschool award, Amanda says she’s “still in shock. It still hasn’t really hit me that I won it. I know I do something special but it doesn’t feel like it. I just feel like I’m helping out children and families and it’s where I’m supposed to be. It’s very rewarding.”
Emerging Leader Award
At VTAEYC’s conference in Killington, several members of the CCV community were recognized for their contributions.
Student Heather Armell received the Emerging Leader Award. Heather, who operates a home day care center in Monkton, has worked in the field for 28 years. She credits faculty member and long-time early childhood educator April Zajko with providing the encouragement she needed to return to school. Heather also got a big boost from CCV’s Assessment of Prior Learning class, where she received 20 credits in just one semester.
She once believed that a college degree was out of reach, but after a positive experience at CCV, “I’m considering going for my bachelor’s. I want to grow in my profession and continue to improve my program.”
Student of the Year
Bradnee DeAguiar was named the VTAEYC Student of the Year. Her CCV journey began in 2024, when she decided to return to school as a single parent. She wanted to be qualified for a career in early childhood education, and she says her now-four-year-old son motivated her to keep going amid competing demands of work, school, and parenting.
At CCV, she utilized a Curtis Fund scholarship to complete her childcare certificate and early childhood education associate degree, and she’s now pursuing a bachelor’s degree and licensure at VTSU with support from VTAEYC’s TEACH scholarship.
Bradnee said her award was “totally unexpected. It felt great to be recognized because this work is very unseen and underappreciated by the outside world…it felt good to be recognized for all the hard work I’ve been putting in behind the scenes.”
For more information about CCV’s early childhood education programs, visit Education Programs – Community College of Vermont. For Northern Lights at CCV, visit Home – Northern Lights at CCV.
