Early Childhood Care and Education faculty and student receive three provincial awards
Violet Jessen, chair of Capilano University’s (CapU) School of Education and Childhood Studies, is a recipient of the Province of British Columbia’s 2023 ChildCare BC Awards of Excellence. The awards, presented by Grace Lore, Minister of State for Child Care on Saturday, May 27, 2023, honour the outstanding achievements of individuals, organizations, school districts and local governments helping families and communities thrive by supporting the delivery of quality child care in B.C.
Jessen received the Regional Award of Excellence – Vancouver Coastal region, a high honour that celebrates her lifelong contributions to the early childhood care and education sector, and her advocacy work and community engagement with children, families, and communities.
“Violet is a dedicated faculty member committed to the advancement of student learning, and a committed leader within the broader early childhood sector in British Columbia,” said Julia Black, coordinator, School of Education and Childhood Studies at Capilano University. “She has been an integral member of our faculty and has touched the lives of early childhood educators working on Vancouver’s North Shore, the Sunshine Coast, the Sea to Sky corridor and beyond.”
Jessen developed the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Spring Job Fair, an annual event at CapU that provides students with the chance to learn about job opportunities, teaching practices, and competitive wages, benefits and working conditions from early childhood education (ECE) programs and employers. Beyond the CapU campus, Jessen is president of the Board of Directors of North Shore Community Resources, board chair for Early Childhood Educators of BC (ECEBC) and she represents the ECEBC at the Canadian Child Care Federation.
“As an early childhood educator, instructor, department chair, board member and community leader, Violet’s immeasurable and unwavering commitment to the early childhood education sector has touched colleagues, student educators and community members,” said Black, who was a 2021 recipient of the Childcare BC Awards of Excellence.
Julia Black received the Gayle Davies Award and Zoe Linford received the Sue Fraser Awards from the Early Childhood Educators of BC. (Photos by: ECEBC)
May is Child Care month in B.C. Earlier this month, Black received the Gayle Davies Award and fourth-year ECCE student Zoe Linford received the Sue Fraser Award at the 2023 Early Childhood Educators of BC annual conference, which took place May 11-13, 2023.
The Gayle Davies Award recognizes individuals for their passion and commitment to the ECE field. This is the second year in a row the award has been awarded to a CapU faculty with Kathleen Kummen, convenor of the Centre for Childhood Studies, having been recognized as the 2022 recipient.
Zoe Linford was presented with the Sue Fraser Award in recognition of her ability to build strong relationships with their classroom peers, faculty and community, and demonstrated early leadership within the ECE sector. This is the second year in a row the ECEBC Sue Fraser Award has been awarded to a CapU ECCE student; the 2022 recipient was CapU ECCE student Aryanna Chartrand.
In July 2023 Violet Jessen will retire from Capilano University where she has served students for many years, educating and equipping a new generation of early childhood educators. CapU wishes Jessen well in her retirement.
Submitted by: Communications