Tracy Ehlert and/or B2K Learning Center has received the following awards/recognitions:

2022 Received a Tribute to be featured in the 2022 Iowa Women’s Foundation Ovation Publication

2019 Named a Changemaker for Children by Save the Children

https://www.savethechildren.org/us/more-ways-to-help/become-a-changemaker?vanityurl=changemakers  

2018 Leading for Change Innovovative Ideas Award (Can view our project on pages 12-13)

https://leadingforchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/06_2018_LFC_innovation_Award_CaseStudy.pdf 

2018 Exchange Leader by Exchanged Magazine:

Child Care Aware of America Provider of the Month-December 2015:

http://usa.childcareaware.org/2016/03/babies-2-kids-learning-center-december2015-child-care-provider-of-the-month/?platform=hootsuite 

Congratulations to Tracy Ehlert and the staff at Babies 2 Kids Learning Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. They have been named Provider of the Month for December 2015! Providers like Ehlert go above and beyond to be outstanding in their field. Ehlert takes her career and the professional development of herself and her staff very seriously – acting as a member on numerous councils and networks, and as an advocate and trainer for other early childhood educators. Ehlert has a Certified Development Associate (CDA) designation, and is NAFCC accredited, earned a 5 out of 5 on the Iowa QRS, and is working toward her Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education (she already has her Associate’s degree in the same). Ehlert and Babies 2 Kids Learning Center were selected in part for the December 2015 Provider of the Month because of their active parent engagement – working through various channels to reach out to parents, including email, memos, a parent board, social media, and face to face communication, along with inviting parents to participate in events and activities on-site. But the learning for the children in her care doesn’t stop when they leave her family child care home. Tracy Ehlert also sends home resources to the families so they can also learn how to support healthy growth and development in their children, and brings parents in to the center for Literacy Nights and Curriculum Night so they can learn how to integrate those lessons at home. Focusing on play-based learning, Ehlert and her staff use developmentally appropriate settings for all the children at the Babies 2 Kids Learning Center, and support healthy meals and fitness through the CACFP program. The children even have a raised garden bed on-site where they are shown how to plant, maintain, and harvest their own food! We’re so grateful to amazing examples of child care providers like Tracy Ehlert and her staff – they’re adding exponentially to the healthy growth and education of the children in their care.

2015 Terri Lynne Lokoff/Children's TYLENOL® National Child Care Teacher Award Winner:

http://www.tllccf.org/index.php

Recognizing the need to raise the status of child care teachers and the need for quality child care, the Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation (TLLCCF) created the Terri Lynne Lokoff/Children's TYLENOL® National Child Care Teacher Awards. This award acknowledges the critical role of child care teachers in providing quality early care and education. Child care teachers from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and on U.S. Miltary bases and installations around the world are invited to apply. Fifty teachers are selected for their commitment and dedication to the children they serve. Of the top ten recipients, one is selected to receive the Helene Marks Award and is named the National Child Care Teacher of the Year.

As a part of the application process, each applicant is asked to design a classroom enhancement project for the children they teach illustrating the educational, social, and emotional benefits of the project. A committee of early childhood educators and specialists review the applications. Award recipients receive $1,000 - $500 for the teacher's personal use and $500 to implement the project. An award ceremony takes place each spring in Pennsylvania - hotel and transportation are provided for the recipients. The event celebrates the best and the most dedicated child care teachers.

2016 Let's Move! Child Care Innovator Award Winner: 

https://healthykidshealthyfuture.org/ 

Recognizing Exceptional Work to Combat Childhood Obesity in Family Child Care The National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) is a strong partner in the Let's Move! Child Care (LMCC) initiative. LMCC was launched by First Lady Michelle Obama in June 2011 with the goal of helping children learn habits that can prevent childhood obesity and can keep them healthy for life. LMCC provides tips, webinars, and other online resources for child care providers focused on the following goals: get kids moving, nurture healthy eaters, provide healthy beverages, reduce screen time, and support infant feeding. 

CACFP Take Action Challenge-Gold Auctioneer 10/18/2016 -

http://www.cacfptakeactionchallenge.org/ 

The CACFP take ACTION Challenge is a CACFP Awareness Campaign designed to educate, rally and energize the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) the public and it's participants. The Challenge motivates everyone connected with CACFP to take action in a variety of healthy ways. In addition to promoting and energizing CACFP and its participants as well as other organizations, this project will utilize and promote existing initiatives, material and resources that are aligned with CACFP.  Participating, Supporting, Endorsing: USDA,State Agency,CACFP Sponsor,Family Child Care,Center Child Care,Head Start, Advocate, Tribal Centers,At Risk,After School,Food Banks, Children. There is something for everyone in the challenge list.CACFP. Lights. Camera. take ACTION! Now start the challenge! Gold, Silver, Bronze and Highly Commended Participation will be awarded to participants of the CACFP take ACTION Challenge.CACFP take ACTION Challenge Step by Step #CACFPtac Building a Healthy Culture with CACFP-Creating a Healthier Next Generation. Now is the time to show support for a healthier CACFP [Child and Adult Care Food Program],yourself and your family. Get your agency,CACFP and yourself recognized all year long and finally at a Recognition Finale. The culmination of a year’s worth of CACFP taking ACTION and completing Challenges will give us a lifetime of rewards. Let’s take advantage of this opportunity to create CACFP awareness while we continue our work to help build a healthy culture in child care and in CACFP!

2015, 2017 & 2018 Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council Scale Up Award Winner: 

 https://www.iowastem.gov/

Through legislative appropriation, the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council is able to offer exemplary STEM programs throughout the state. The STEM Scale-Up Program has demonstrated success in increasing student interest and achievement in STEM across all demographics. Through a rigorous review process, the STEM Council selected nine programs to be offered on the 2017-2018 STEM Scale-Up Program menu to provide high-quality STEM education offerings to schools, afterschool programs and other settings for grades pre-K through 12. These programs range from building robots and coding programs to conducting agricultural field experiences and learning about STEM careers. All went through a rigorous review process at both the national and state level, demonstrating an appeal to diverse youth, success in improving academic performance, evidence of integrating STEM concepts, development of school-business-community partnerships and sustainability beyond STEM Council financial support.

 Tracy Ehlert Was Named in the Top Ten CACFP People of 2016: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CA6T4Fx-0Ho&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=Clean+list+without+Lisa+Mack&utm_campaign=cd31650d9d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2016_12_28&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_58034d34d3-cd31650d9d-128655913

Tracy Ehlert Was Named in the Top Ten CACFP Blogs of 2016: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjAiVpkaR9o&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=Clean+list+without+Lisa+Mack&utm_campaign=cd31650d9d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2016_12_28&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_58034d34d3-cd31650d9d-128655913