Diane Neighbors To Receive Children's Champion Award

Nashville, Tenn. - The Nashville Area Association for the Education of Young Children (NAAEYC) will award its 2007 Children's Champion award to Dr. Diane Neighbors at a public event Saturday, April 21.

The NAAEYC awards the Children's Champion honor annually to an individual whose professional or volunteer activities have resulted in the enhancement of services and educational opportunities for young children in Davidson County. Former recipients include Janet Camp, Earline Kendall, Charlie Allen, Bill Purcell, and Rich Schofield.

Sara Longhini, President of the NAAEYC Board, said Neighbors was this year's unanimous choice because of her diligent work with the Tennessee General Assembly and the Governor's Office to bring 529 new State-funded pre-Kindergarten classrooms to an additional 10,000 at-risk young Tennesseans since 2005.

Longhini stated: “Diane Neighbors has been a friend of children for many, many years. Her leadership, along with others, has resulted in Tennessee's now offering pre-kindergarten classes in 88 of Tennessee's 95 counties, and in 124 of our 136 school systems. She has spent her career working to improve the quality of care and education to our children.”

Additionally, Neighbors' work on standards of care for Tennessee's preschool children has resulted in Tennessee's ranking as one of six states that has met 9 of 10 quality benchmarks (teacher training and preparation, class size, etc.) according to the National Institute for Early Education Research.

Neighbors, who holds a Doctorate in Education from Vanderbilt University, has served as Director of the Vanderbilt Child and Family Center since 1991. Before assuming the Vanderbilt position, she was a childcare teacher, and later an administrator, at several public and private childcare programs in Nashville. She has served as President of both the Nashville Area and the Tennessee Associations for the Education of Young Children, and has chaired the Tennessee Alliance for Early Education since 2004.

Neighbors, a candidate for Vice Mayor of Nashville, was elected to the Metro Council as an At-Large member in 2003.

The NAAEYC will present the Children's Champion award to Diane Neighbors at the Main Public Library Auditorium, Saturday, April 21, at 10:30 a.m. A reception will follow and the public is welcome. For more information about the event, or other Week of the Young Child offerings, please call 383-6292.