NJAECTE Awards

The Outstanding Early Childhood Teacher Educator Award

This award recognizes excellence in educating early childhood pre-service and in-service teachers in 2 and 4-year institutions of higher education. NJAECTE members are encouraged to nominate teacher educators and/or clinical educators from ECE programs in NJ’s community colleges and universities. The awardee will be one whose accomplishments reflect dedication to strengthening the professional preparation of ECE teachers, service to the community and field, and scholarship, in ways appropriate to their institutional context.

Award criteria: Must be nominated by a current NJAECTE member. Nomination materials should clearly demonstrate the nominee’s:

• • Leadership, as evidenced by providing direction, energy, innovation, organization, and efforts aimed at improving early childhood teacher education in their context;

  • Professionalism, as demonstrated through advocacy, service to the community or field, expertise or scholarship, and high ethical standards;

  • Mentoring, by modeling dimensions of teaching that nurture the professional development of students, beginning teachers and faculty, and colleagues

The award consists of a $100.00 gift card along with a memento, presented at NJAECTE’s Spring 2022 meeting.

The Outstanding Research in Early Childhood Teacher Education/Early Childhood Education Award

This award was established to recognize and encourage meritorious research in early childhood (birth through age eight) teacher education, or early childhood education. This is an award for a proposal for a new study to be conducted over the following year. NJAECTE presents this award to a promising study in anticipation that such recognition will stimulate research and scholarship and foster dissemination of information.

Award criteria: Current NJAECTE members can self-nominate themselves. Nomination materials should clearly reflect:

• • Evidence-based rationale relevant to early childhood teacher education/early childhood education

  • Clarity and significance of research question(s)

  • Sound research methodology

  • Potential to contribute to the knowledge base of early childhood teacher education or early childhood education, and address issues of practice, policy or advocacy.

  • Budget describing how the funds will be used to support the research project.

The award consists of an honorarium of $250.00 to pursue a planned research study to disseminate information or to support a research plan, along with a memento, presented at NJAECTE’s Spring 2022 meeting.

The Distinguished Scholarship in Early Childhood Teacher Education/Early Childhood Education Award

This award was established to recognize professionals who have published works or built a body of work to contribute to scholarship in early childhood (birth through age eight) teacher education, or early childhood education. NJAECTE presents this award to ECE scholars for their writing and publications in peer-reviewed practitioner and/or research journals, books, or other creative work that represents outstanding scholarly accomplishment in the field of ECE.

Award Criteria: Current NJAECTE members can self-nominate or be nominated by a current NJAECTE member. Nomination materials (letters and vita) should clearly demonstrate steady contribution to the knowledge base of early childhood teacher education or early childhood education, and address issues of practice, policy or advocacy with a focus on improving ECE/ECETE in NJ.

The award consists of a $100.00 gift card along with a memento, presented at NJAECTE’s Spring 2022 meeting.