by Claire Miller
Ruth Saxton, College of Education assistant professor and coordinator of the college’s Birth Through Five Program, received the 2012 Educator of the Year Award from the Georgia Association on Young Children.
This award, given at the association’s 2012 conference, recognizes an outstanding secondary or post- secondary educator in child development, early childhood education, early childhood special education or a related field.
The Georgia Association on Young Children is the state affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, a professional organization dedicated to “promoting excellence in early childhood education,” according to its website.
“I was sincerely honored by this award,” Saxton said. “This is an organization of my peers and professionals in the larger birth through five community giving recognition to people in the field, and this award is particularly gratifying because I was nominated and chosen by my peers.”
Saxton hopes the award brings more awareness to the Birth Through Five Program, which prepares students to become teachers and early care and education professionals working with children from infancy through kindergarten age in a variety of settings.
“I was particularly excited to receive it because of the visibility it brings to Georgia State University and the Birth Through Five Program,” she said. “I hope this award showcases the need for high-quality professionals in the field and that the College of Education provides a dynamic program to prepare such educators.”
For more information about the Georgia Association on Young Children, visit http://www.gayconline.org. For more information about the College of Education’s Birth Through Five Program, visit http://education.gsu.edu/ece/4554.html.
