The Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation (TLLCCF) announced that Joanne du Bois Sweedyk, CFLE, family care provider for children ranging in age from 6 weeks to 12 years old at Joanne's Tot Stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was awarded the 2012 Terri Lynne Lokoff/Children's National Child Care Teacher Award. This exemplary early care and education teacher was selected from a pool of applicants nationwide.  Each recipient receives a $1,000 award: $500 to implement their proposed project and $500 to acknowledge their dedication.

The recipients of the 2012 Terri Lynne Lokoff/Children's National Child Care Teacher Awards designed an enhancement project that illustrates the educational, social and emotional benefits for the children in their care.  Sweedyk's  project  is Natural Outdoor Environment for Learning and Exploration.

 "I plan to provide opportunities for children to be imaginative, experiment, problem solve, and learn to love the earth... My hope is that the children will learn a sense of self, a sense of the world around them, independence and competence through active exploration and problem solving strategies," said du Bois Sweedyk.

The TLLCCF Foundation has dedicated its resources to improving the quality of child care for children and supporting and elevating the status of child care teachers and providers. For additional information about the Foundation or the National Child Care Teacher Awards, please visit www.TLLCCF.org or call 610.992.1140.