Announcing the 2025 Tennessee Early Educator Awards!
Hundreds of amazing early educators across Tennessee were nominated this year! We are excited to champion these Tennessee Educators!
Eligibility
To be eligible for the award, an early educator must:
- Be currently employed full-time in Tennessee, caring for and teaching children:
- Within the birth through preschool age range in a regulated center, family child care home, or school-based program
- OR within grades K-3 at a state-accredited public or charter school
- Have been an early childhood educator for three or more years
- Demonstrate a passion for teaching, love of children, and respectful engagement with parents and families.
Awards and Prizes!
The awards will recognize 10 outstanding early educators across the state, with 5 awards in Birth through Preschool; and 5 awards in Kindergarten through 3rd Grade.
All 10 awardees will receive a $1,000 cash prize, a shopping spree at Lakeshore Learning, and an all expenses paid trip to Nashville.
Award announcements will be made in early fall.
Nominations
Nominations are currently closed.
All nominees will be invited to complete an application. An email with a link to the application will be sent to all qualified nominees on or about June 9. Winners will be selected based on scoring from our panel of early childhood education experts, interviews, and references.
Awards Sponsors
We are grateful for our sponsors for making these awards possible.
2024 Winners!
Class of 2024
We are so proud of our Tennessee Early Educator Awards class of 2024!
Our 20 awardees stood out among 1700+ nomininations and 300+ applications from across the Volunteer State.
We salute their passion and dedication to the field and were delighted to recognize and honor them.
