Suwanee Preschool Teacher Wins National Award

Gabriela Martinez, a Lead Preschool Teacher at the Discovery Point Child Development Center in Suwanee, has received a Terri Lynne Lokoff/Children’s TYLENOL® National Child Care Teacher Award™. She is one of only 50 teachers nationwide, and the only one from Georgia, selected for their commitment and dedication to the children they serve.

Recognizing the need to raise the status of child care teachers and the need for quality child care, the Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation (TLLCCF) created the award to acknowledge the critical role of child care teachers in providing quality care and education for preschool children.

A native of Ecuador and U.S. citizen, Ms. Martinez has been a Lead Teacher at Discovery Point Suwanee for four years. Prior to that she was a Head Start teacher in Buffalo, NY for 14 years and taught in Ecuadorean schools earlier in her career. She and her husband, David, have two daughters, one a college senior and one a college graduate.

“We are so proud of our award-winning teacher!” said Hows King, Franchise Owner. “It’s great for her to receive outside recognition for the hard work and dedication she invests daily in making her classroom a special place for the children under her care.”

As part of the process, each applicant is asked to design a classroom enhancement project with educational, social, and emotional benefits, and each winner receives a grant to implement the project. Ms. Martinez proposed a multilingual literacy center that incorporates five of the languages spoken by students in her classroom. One section of the center will be dedicated to listening & reading activities, the other to writing skills development.

“We extend our most sincere congratulations to Ms. Martinez and to the owner, managers and staff of Discovery Point Suwanee,” said Diane and Cliff Clark, founders of the Duluth-based chain of child development centers. “They have created a shining example of what top quality early childhood care and education can be.”

In February, Ms. Martinez received personal congratulations from Gov. Nathan Deal and Bobby Cagle, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, in a ceremony at the State Capitol.

About Discovery Point Suwanee

Located at 930 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard in Suwanee, GA. Discovery Point Suwanee serves a widely diverse group of children including families from 35 different countries. This diversity is reflected in the center’s staff. Among the languages spoken at Discovery Point Suwanee are English, Korean, Spanish and Hin