MEDICINE HAT, AB — The owner of a daycare centre in Medicine Hat says she’s honoured her team was recognized by the province.
Little Owl Learning Centre received a Minister’s Awards of Excellence in Child Development award in the Team Category during a ceremony in Edmonton on Friday.
“It took me by surprise, it was a huge honour,” said Justine Mann, director and owner of the centre on Tuesday.
The centre opened two years ago, and has approximately 80 kids enrolled in their programs.
Mann says families of two children in their programs submitted nominations for the award, citing the collaborative partnerships in the community and the support for families.
“It’s really a team effort,” she said. “I can say that for our entire staff here, as well as all of the school district representatives and all of their affiliates that come and work with the children here. When you walk around the halls, you’ll see people who want to make a genuine difference in people’s lives.”
Mann, along with team members Jessica Lexvold, Jade Haslbeck and Allison Beck, all received awards. They were among three teams to receive the award this year.
“I couldn’t be more proud of everyone who is involved,” she said. “All of our staff, they’re just an incredible group of people. The success of this program largely falls on them, because they’re the ones in the classrooms working with the children every day, putting in their best effort. They’re amazing.”
Nine awards were handed out on Friday. A total of 88 nominations were received.
