Child Care Now board member receives Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Early Childhood Education

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has given Child Care Now Board member Ruth Bancroft an Award for Excellence in Early Childhood Education, Certificate of Achievement.

The awards honour outstanding early childhood educators and are given to those who demonstrate leadership, exemplary early childhood education practices and a commitment to help build the foundation children need to make the best possible start in life.

“It is a wonderful honour to receive the Prime Minister’s Certificate of Achievement in Early Childhood Education,” said Bancroft, adding, “While it is personally affirming to be acknowledged in this way, it is time to value the entire sector by investing in recruitment, retention and fair wages for the ECE workforce.”

The Prime Minister’s Office described Ruth as a ‘pioneer of inclusion in early childhood education, a veteran educator who welcomes children with all types of special needs and who opened her centre to a wider age group, all while providing countless opportunities for play-based learning.’

Ruth has worked in child care for more than 30 years. She is an experienced early childhood educator and, since 1978, has been the Director of the Langara Child Development Centre, which is an inclusive campus child care program serving children from 18 months to 5 years of age. Ruth has been involved in the development of Supported Child Care in Vancouver and is a member of the Vancouver Local Supported Child Development Advisory Committee. A former board member of SpeciaLink, the national centre for child care inclusion, she currently serves as a board member of Child Care Now and the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC.

See the full list of recipients.