The Child Care Council of Westchester inducted 11 childcare and after-school professionals into its Early Education Hall of Fame on Sept. 19. The event, which included dinner, a live DJ, trivia and an awards ceremony, took place at Mercy University in Dobbs Ferry.
Established in 2019, the Hall of Heroes celebrates outstanding early education and after school professionals in order to honor their critical role in the lives of children and families, and to bring public recognition to the importance of
childcare and early education as it pertains to school readiness, family stability and economic vitality.
“This annual event is our opportunity to celebrate the dedication and impact of early education professionals who often work behind the scenes but make a lasting difference not only for individual children, but in helping grow strong communities,” said Child Care Council Executive Director Laura Newman.
This year’s honorees included caregivers, teachers, administrators, and business owners from throughout the county:
Alba Sanabria, daycare director, My First Steps AS Corp, Mount Vernon;
Gertrude Smith, daycare owner, Smith Loving Care Inc., Yonkers;
Isola Isaac, provider, Tee-Tee’s Amazing Kids, Mount Vernon;
Joe DaRonco, owner/director, Ten Ten Recreation, Yorktown Heights;
Kemmah Campbell, owner, In Kemmah’s Care LLC, Mount Vernon;
Liliana Gudino, childcare director, Rye YMCA, Rye;
Margarita Pineiro, director of early learning childcare services, YMCA of Central Northern Westchester, White Plains;
Sandra L. Jenkins, head teacher, St. Peter’s Child Care Center, Yonkers;
Sonilvia Garcia, child care provider, Nina’s Daycare Inc., Yonkers;
Susan Daly, Director, The Irvington Children’s Center, Irvington; and
Yasmill Ledesma, director of education, Discovery Village Childcare Center, Tarrytown.
The event was sponsored by CClean Commercial Cleaning, M&T Bank, The Arvind Family, Gardner Media, Nicole and Kurt Rebori, Community Playthings, The D’Emico Family, The Flanagan Thurau Family, The Kelly Family, The Koelsch-Rebori Family, Quality Stars NY, The Ruoff Family, Sami Vecchiolla, Sharc Creative, and the YMCA of Central and Northern Westchester. Adam Kintish, vice president at M&T Bank, served as volunteer emcee for the evening.
The Child Care Council of Westchester is a 501c3 nonprofit resource organization founded in 1968 that champions the healthy development of children, families and communities by promoting quality early care and education. A unique “one stop” agency for childcare, the c
ouncil connect parents with quality childcare and related financial resources, supports childcare providers with training and business best practices, assists employers with resources for their workforce and advocates for policies and funding that supports the needs of families and care providers.
