Discovery Point Announces Gabriela Martinez as Recipient of the Terri Lynne Lokoff

In the Discovery Point tradition of leadership in the child care industry, Gabriela Martinez has been awarded the Terri Lynne Lokoff National Child Care Teacher Award. Martinez teaches at the Discovery Point Child Development Center in Suwanee, Georgia, and was nominated in the fall by the center’s management team, her peers, and parents of her students. As part of the application process, Martinez presented her vision of a Multi-Cultural Literacy Center being added to her classroom.

Martinez is striving to overcome language barriers to create a learning environment in which all children will thrive. The award-winning proposal is for developing a multilingual literacy center that incorporates five of the languages spoken by students in her preschool classroom. The literacy center includes a study center with storage for books, various books on CD as well as a CD player, flashcards, notebooks and writing utensils. A section of the learning center is dedicated to listening and reading activities, with a complimentary area focused on developing writing skills. The literacy center is stocked with age-appropriate materials for the children’s use.

An awards ceremony for all award winners will take place this spring in Pennsylvania. This event celebrates the best and most dedicated early childhood development teachers in the country. “This is an opportunity for great teachers to receive recognition for outstanding work in early childhood development. We are very proud to have Gabriela as one of the recipients” exclaimed Hows King, owner of the Discovery Point Suwanee Center.

About the Terri Lynn Lokoff National Child Care Teacher Award™

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 Terri Lynne Lokoff National Child Care Teacher Awards™. This award acknowledges the critical role of child care teachers in providing quality early care and education. Child care teachers from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and on U.S. Military bases and installations around the world are invited to apply. Fifty teachers are selected for their commitment and dedication to the children they serve. Of the top ten recipients, one is selected to receive the Helene Marks Award and is named the National Child Care Teacher of the Year.

About Gabriela Martinez

Mrs. Gabriela Martinez is married with two adult daughters. She a US Citizen who emigrated here from Ecuador. Martinez has a degree in Special Education from El Instituto Particular do Profesiones Media and a Child Development Associate (CDA) Certificate. She has 18 years of experience in Early Childhood Education. She taught Elementary School in Equador, 14 years as a Head Start Teacher in Buffalo, NewYork, and she is currently Lead Preschool Teacher – Discovery Point Suwanee, Georgia.