To Every Educator: Thank You from the Bottom of Our Hearts

Dr. Deb

As we reflect on the impact education has on our communities and our future, I want to take a moment to express my deepest and most heartfelt appreciation for every educator out there.

Whether you teach the littlest learners in preschool, guide students through their elementary years, mentor teens in high school, or challenge young adults in higher education—your care, patience, creativity, and dedication do not go unnoticed.

Each day, you create environments where students feel safe, supported, and inspired to learn. You don’t just teach lessons; you nurture curiosity, build confidence, and help shape resilient, thoughtful human beings.

"Teachers affect eternity; no one can tell where their influence stops."– Henry Brooks Adams

Behind the scenes, your hard work continues, preparing lessons late into the night, finding new ways to reach every learner, offering encouragement when it's needed most. Your presence in the classroom, whether physical or virtual, is a powerful force of stability and compassion in your students' lives.

You are shaping not only minds but also hearts. You are planting seeds of kindness, perseverance, and lifelong learning. And that is truly priceless.

From the bottom of my heart: Thank you!!! Thank you for showing up every day with passion and purpose. Thank you for believing in your students, even when they don’t yet believe in themselves.

You are appreciated more than words can say.

Resources for Excellence in Preschool Teaching in New Jersey

To further support and celebrate the incredible work of preschool educators in New Jersey, here are some valuable resources that highlight best practices and strategies for fostering excellence in early childhood education:

1. Grow NJ Kids – New Jersey’s Quality Rating Improvement System

   Grow NJ Kids is New Jersey’s program to raise the quality of childcare and early learning across the state. It provides childcare and early learning programs with resources to assess and improve their programs, while offering parents information to evaluate the quality of programs and make the best choices for their child. Programs participating in Grow NJ Kids receive training, technical assistance, and incentives to improve quality. 

2. Child Care Connection NJ – Early Childhood Institute for Professional Development provides educational programs for childcare professionals across New Jersey. Training is available for any early childhood educator working with children birth through eight years old, designed to improve the quality of care offered to children in any early childhood setting. 

3. New Jersey Department of Education – Office of Preschool Education

   The Office of Preschool Education assists educators in state-funded preschool programs to foster a nurturing, classroom-based learning environment. It provides leadership, guidance, professional learning opportunities, and resources to support educators, families, and communities of New Jersey’s preschool children enrolled in school district, private, and Head Start programs. 

4. Preschool Expansion Mixed-Delivery Toolkit – Child Care Aware of NJ

   This toolkit provides information, resources, and templates to support community-based childcare centers in understanding expectations and operations of New Jersey’s high-quality preschool program. It aims to strengthen partnerships between school districts and community-based childcare centers to deliver high-quality preschool education. 

5. NJ Workforce Registry – Professional Development Tracking

   The NJ Workforce Registry is an online database that records and recognizes a person’s education, training, and work experience in the field of early childhood education. It helps participants track their annual professional development hours while providing data about the NJ early childhood workforce. Members can register for courses directly through the registry and access their personalized education and training. 

   
   

These resources provide a wealth of knowledge and practical strategies to enhance the quality of preschool education and support the professional growth of educators in New Jersey.

With endless gratitude and admiration for all!