MnAEYC Award Winners

MnAEYC 2010 Evelyn House Award Recipient

Claire Chang, Saint Paul Foundation

Claire has not stopped working on behalf of children and families since her youth, when she helped her mother provide family child care. Claire went on to advocate for the needs of young children and their parents in her work in the women’s shelter movement. She then advocated for the needs of low-income families as a leader at Resources for Child Caring, overseeing delivery of child care subsidies for low-income families and management of the child care food program. During her tenure at RCC, she also oversaw and supported work with family friend and neighbor providers in the Latino and Hmong communities. She also acted as mentor to the new trainers on the Ramsey County team of Infant Toddler Training Intensive (ITTI) trainers from 1994-1997.

Claire has been a leader in addressing racism in the state of MN.  She was a Minnesota member of the Culturally Relevant Anti-Bias group, served as co-chair of the MN Cultural Dynamics Committee. She also served as member of the Early Childhood Equity Alliance Steering Committee (ECEA) and chaired the ECEA Governance Committee. Her commitment to anti-bias work continues today in the form of her supervision of the Facing Race Initiative at The Saint Paul Foundation. 

As an early childhood leader, she is a strong supporter of both MnAEYC and NAEYC. She has served on the MnAEYC Board, including serving as affiliate representative to NAEYC, as well as numerous MnAEYC committees. She actively uses the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and other NAEYC position statements in her daily work. She contributes to the field nationally through her past service as NAEYC Board member and participation on various NAEYC committees.

She has been largely responsible for the development and implementation of Words Work!, an early literacy project at The Saint Paul Foundation. This professional development initiative demonstrates promising results through ongoing improvements in classroom instruction.  The evaluation has followed the same group of children through 7th grade and has seen continued growth.   

In her current position, Associate Vice President of Grants and Program at The Saint Paul Foundation, she continues to highlight the special work done by early childhood professionals.

To each of these commitments she has brought her enormous energy, dedication to justice, and continuing vision that all children must have equal opportunities to succeed, beginning in early childhood. Likewise she is a champion of those closest to children: their families and their caregivers and teachers.

Nomination Forms:
Evelyn House Award | Kate Davidson Tanner Award | Regional/District Service Award | Distinguished Service Award

Evelyn House Awardees

Kate Davidison Tanner Awardees

MnAEYC Award Winners through the Years

Regional/District Service Awards

2009
Northwest - Jill Kremer

2007
Metro - Katie Sewell
Southern - Fairmont Early Childhood Family Education
Midwest - Kathleen Ofstedal
Northwest - Sarah Berg Olson
Northeast - Diane Langlee

2006
Metro - Heidi Malloy, Instructor - Metro State University, St. Paul
Southern - Sarah Van Niewaal, Program Officer - First Steps/Rochester Area Foundation
Midwest - Cindy Hickok, Caring and Sharing Association
Northwest - Gayle Nelson
Northeast - Becky Gamache, DAEYC

2005
Region 1: PICA Head Start, Minneapolis
Region 2W: Southern MN Valley Association for Early Childhood
Region 2E: Southern MN Initiative Fund, Owatonna
Region 3: Linda Wilson
Region 4: Tamie Finn
Region 5: Pat Jaekel

2004
Region 1: Barb Murphy
Region 2E: Kate Zabertini
Region 3: Joan Thompson
Region 5: Bernie & Julie Walker

2003
Region 1: Lasting Impressions Child Care, St. Paul & St. John's Child Care & Nursery, Minneapolis
Region 2W: Dr. Francene Evans
Region 2E: Judy Lindman
Region 3: Rondi Wussow
Region 4: Leah Pigatti
Region 5: Dorothy Wolden

2002
Region 1: Marilyn Wolkerstorfer, Anoka-Hennepin School Readiness Program
Region 2W: Gail Goltz, CCR&R, Marshall
Region 3: Pam Walz, Bright Beginnings, Cold Springs
Region 4: Cherry Brouwer, Instructor - Bemidji State University
Region 5: Duluth YWCA

2001
Region 2W: Linda Jagielo

1999
Region 5: Nancy Thomas, Teacher - Duluth/DAEYC

1995
Region 2E: Judy Lindman, Instructor - Riverland Technical College, Rochester
Region 3: West Central MN Child Care Center Directors Association
Region 5: Sharon Soderberg, YWCA Preschool and Toddler Center, Duluth

1994
Region 1: Ardis Kysar, St. David's School, Minnetonka
Region 2E: Joan Gravett, Civic League Day Nursery, Rochester
Region 3: Sarla Agarwal, Country Day Nursery School, Morris
Region 5: Vicki Vavra, Happy Time Day Care, Duluth

1993
Region 1: Linda Reusch, North Como Preschool, St. Paul
Region 2W: Abby Draper, ECFE, Mankato
Region 5: Maureen Litman, Instructor - Duluth Technical College/U of M, Duluth

1992
Region 1: Kris Berry, Wilder Child Development, St. Paul
Region 2W: LaVonne O'Brien, Child Care Center, Mapleton
Region 5: Bobbi Hoyt, Instructor - Duluth Secondary Vocational School

1991
Region 1: Payne Phalen Family Center, St. Paul
Region 2E: Shawna Kishel
Region 2W: Geri Felstul
Region 5: Diane Langlee

1990
Region 1: Ardis Kysar, St. David's School, Minnetonka
Region 2E: Children's House
Region 3: Marcia Elg
Region 5: C. Diane Schusta

1989
Region 1/Metro: Roz Anderson, Adventure Club, Robbinsdale
Region 2E: Eliane Schmidt, Director - Children Home Society Nursery School & Daycare, Rochester
Region 2W: Alice DeMeglio, Kindergarten Teacher, Minnesota Lake/Mankato
Region 3: Karen Koenen, Koenen's County Preschool, Miltona
Region 4: Mary Ann Hodge, Director - Discovery Place, Penningont Co./Theif River Falls
Region 5: Rita Lefevre, YWCA Child Care Center, Duluth

1988
North: Delores Anderson, Director - Happy Time Day Care Center, Duluth
Central: Young People's Place, Alexandria
South: Rachel Seeback (posthumous), ECFA, Mankato

Distinguished Service Award

2009: Ann Kaner-Roth
2007: Congregations Concerned for Children
2006: Jean Taylor, Taylor Corp.
2005: Calvin Rice & Jason Daniel, Lakeshore Learning
2004: Bob Bullard, FR Bigelow Foundation & Arthur Rolnick, Federal Reserve
2003: Minh Ta, Children's Defense Fund
2002: Rep. Mary Jo McGuire
2001: Bush & McKnight Foundations

1992: McKnight Foundation
1991: Sen. Linda Berglin
1990: Glen Taylor, Taylor Corp.
1989: Sen. Allen Spear
1988: The Bush Foundation
1987: Sen. Jerome Hughes