SCAEYC members are invited to nominate individuals for the following awards and scholarships. ALL nominees must be members in good standing of SCAEYC/NAEYC. Please follow the individual guidelines carefully. All nominations and accompanying letter(s) of recommendation are due by August 15, 2024, email to SouthCarolinascaeyc@gmail.com.
Awards will be presented at the SCAEYC Annual Conference on October 18, 2024.

2024 SCAEYC Conference Awards – PDF
2024 SCAEYC Conference Awards – DOC

The Kevin J. Swick Excellence in Teacher Education Award

The Kevin J. Swick Excellence in Teacher Education Award is designed to honor a person who has made a significant contribution to the field of early childhood teacher education within the state of South Carolina. The late Dr. Kevin Swick was a professor of early childhood education at the University of South Carolina who made significant contributions to the field of early childhood education. The South Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children chose to honor Dr. Swick by naming an award in his honor.

To nominate someone for this award (or to self-nominate), please complete the attached form and submit two letters of recommendation describing the nominee’s contributions to the field of early childhood teacher education.

The Marian Wright Edelman Advocacy Award

The Marian Wright Edelman Advocacy Award is designed to honor a person who has made a significant contribution that changes the lives of children in positive ways.  Marian Wright Edelman is a native South Carolinian and the director of the Children’s Defense Fund. Her advocacy efforts for children are known worldwide. The South Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children chose to honor Dr. Edelman by naming an award in her honor.

To nominate someone for this award (or to self-nominate), please complete the attached form and submit two letters of recommendation describing the nominee’s contributions to the field of early childhood education, including his/her role in advocacy efforts on behalf of young children.

The Ralph Witherspoon Award

The Ralph Witherspoon Award is designed to honor a person who has made a significant contribution to the field of early childhood education within the state of South Carolina. The late Ralph Witherspoon was a professor of early childhood education at the University of South Carolina who made significant contributions to the field of early childhood education. The South Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children chose to honor Dr. Witherspoon by naming an award in his honor.

To nominate someone for this award (or to self-nominate), please complete the attached form and submit two letters of recommendation describing the nominee’s contributions to the field of early childhood education, including his/her role in advocacy efforts on behalf of young children in the state of South Carolina.

The Ellie Gailbraith Scholarship

The Ellie Gailbraith Scholarship is designed to honor an early childhood educator currently in a classroom as a teacher or teacher assistant and member of the South Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children who would like to attend the SCAEYC Annual Conference.  The late Ellie Gailbraith was an early childhood consultant who supported the SCAEYC conference every year from its inception until her death. Ellie worked tirelessly to improve the quality of early childhood education in South Carolina. The South Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children chose to honor Ms. Gailbraith by naming a scholarship in her honor.

This scholarship covers the registration fee for the annual conference.  The person recommending the candidate must complete the attached form and submit two (2) letters of recommendation (one from a supervisor and one from a fellow educator).

The Felicia Smalls Ragland SCAEYC Conference Award

The late Felicia Smalls Ragland was an early childhood consultant and trainer whose professional career was dedicated to the education, betterment, and encouragement of young children, parents, students, and early learning educators through her staff development training and services.  She also served in administrative childcare positions and in director and management roles throughout her career.  She was a member of the board of the South Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children for many years.  She served as Secretary on the Executive Board during her years of service.  SCAEYC chooses to honor Ms. Ragland by naming this Student Scholarship in her honor.

Students play a vital role in our organization, and several efforts have been made to encourage their participation, including this student scholarship for the SCAEYC conference.  This scholarship covers the registration fee for the annual conference.

The scholarship is given at the SCAEYC Annual Conference only when the name of a deserving candidate has been submitted to the SCAEYC Governing Board.  The person recommending the candidate must submit two (2) letters of support to the SCAEYC Board before the deadline.  The board reserves the right to accept or reject any candidate by the vote of a quorum of its members.

Please mark which award the person is nominated for:

() The Kevin J. Swick Excellence in Teacher Education Award

(  ) The Marian Wright Edelman Advocacy Award.

(  ) The Ralph Witherspoon Award.

(  ) The Ellie Gailbraith Scholarship.

(  ) The Felicia Smalls Ragland SCAEYC Conference Award

Nominee: _________________________________________________________________________

Nominee’s Place of Employment: ______________________________________________________________________

Nominee’s E-mail address and phone number: ____________________________________________________________

Nominated by: _________________________________________________________________________

Email address and phone number: _____________________________________________________________________

ALL nominees must be members in good standing of SCAEYC/NAEYC.

In addition to completing this form, please submit two letters of recommendation on behalf of the nominee.

All materials should be emailed to  SouthCarolinascaeyc@gmail.com by August 15, 2024.