Nancy Kaplan, coordinator of Rochester’s Child, a Rochester Area Community Foundation initiative, has received the 2015 Child Care Champion Award from Child Care Council Inc.
Kaplan was recognized for her creative leadership in support of early childhood education in the greater Rochester community. The award was presented at Child Care Council’s Start Bright Gala, Oct. 21, 2015, at the RIT Inn & Conference Center.
In her role at Rochester’s Child, Nancy Kaplan assists in raising approximately $50,000 annually and a $2.5 million endowment that supports about $100,000 of the initiative’s yearly grants. Active in the community, Nancy Kaplan is a member of the Early Childhood Development Initiative (ECDI), a collaboration of more than 20 providers, programs, funders, community leaders and experts. She currently serves as chair of ECDI’s Parent Engagement Committee and on the organization’s Leadership Cabinet and Advocacy Committee. She resides in Rush, N.Y.
“Child Care Council is delighted to recognize Nancy Kaplan with this award,” said Child Care Council CEO Barbara-Ann Mattle. “Nancy is a true champion for high-quality child care, from her tremendous work at Rochester’s Child, to her commitment to ECDI. For many years, Nancy has been – and continues to be – instrumental in helping our early childhood development community continually improve the quality of care for our youngest citizens.”
Nancy Kaplan said, “I am honored to receive this award from Child Care Council. To me, nothing is more important than early childhood development and child care quality because every dollar spent upfront in these areas saves money on such later costs as grade retention, special education and teen pregnancy – and helps at-risk children succeed in school. I share this recognition with my colleagues at Rochester’s Child and the Community Foundation, as well as ECDI and our community partners.”