Head Start Instructor the Recipient of the Fayette County Educator of the Year Award

Our own Brenda Cousins recently received an Educator of the Year award from the Education Council of the Fayette Chamber of Commerce. Brenda is a Head Start instructor at the Redstone Center. Brenda was nominated for this recognition by Head Start supervisor, Paula Hitabidel.

According to Hitabidel, “Brenda gives her all to her students and her colleagues alike. She is an inspiration to all of the staff as well as the children she instructs and those in other classrooms.”

Brenda was actually a Head Start child and has gone on to give back to a program that gave her a strong educational start in life. She recently earned her master’s degree in early childhood education from Carlow College and has been an instructor at Head Start for three years. She is active in several aspects of the Head Start program, including being actively involved in the Private Industry Council’s new S.E.E.D.S. Program. S.E.E.D.S. is an acronym for Social-Emotional-Educational-Developmental-Successes. The goal of this program is to assist children, parents, and early education programs in preventing, reducing, and treating aggression and other inappropriate behaviors by promoting children’s emotional, social, and academic competence. This initiative is being funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, as part of the National Center of Excellence In Early Childhood program.
The compelling story of Brenda Cousins is being shared as part of the Private Industry Council’s entry for the TechSoup 2011 Digital Storytelling Challenge.

To see Brenda’s story on Flickr click here. Congratulations Brenda!

And please take a moment vote for PIC’s digital story to win @TechSoup #TSDigs Audience Choice Award! Click here!!