The country’s most dedicated and inspiring childcarers were rewarded at 4Children’s Childcare Stars Awards on Thursday, 29 June 2006. The Awards ceremony and dinner saw a wealth of VIP guests honouring the hundreds of unrecognised workers who care for our children every day.

Cherie Booth QC opened the awards which were attended by the Secretary of State for Education and Skills the Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP and the Rt Hon Beverley Hughes MP, Minister for Children, Young People and Families. Celebrity Nicholas Parsons OBE hosted the awards ceremony with help from Esther Rantzen CBE, Vanessa Feltz, Casualty Star Georgina Bouzova and CBBC presenter Ade Adepitan.

The Awards recognise the most outstanding childcare professionals working in the sector, including exceptional nursery and pre school staff, playworkers, registered childminders and other professionally-qualified childcarers. Both the Awards and the event are organised by the charity 4Children and supported by the Government’s Sure Start Extended Schools and Childcare Group as part of National Sure Start Month.

TV personality, Esther Rantzen received the Wedgwood Lifetime Achievement Award for her years of hard work campaigning for children, including establishing Childline and her work with many other children’s charities.

Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for Education and Skills, said: “The Childcare Star Awards recognise and honour people who through their everyday work put an enormous amount of commitment and dedication into making the lives of children and their families better. It is these people who turn Government investment into reality, delivering services on the ground that give parents and carers the support they need to give children the best possible start in life, and I thank them personally for their invaluable contribution. I want to congratulate all of the winners this evening on their achievements, whilst recognising that for every one of them, there are ten more out there who are stars in their own right.”

Anne Longfield, Chief Executive of 4Children, said: “There are thousands of incredible childcare workers, who provide invaluable support to children, families and communities every day across the country. They really deserve to be rewarded for what they do.“

Cherie Booth QC, Vice President of 4Children, said: “Having excellent support for children in the early years and high quality reliable childcare is essential for all children and parents. The dedication and commitment of children’s workers across the country, deserves recognition and celebration. The Childcare Stars Awards show how crucial this work is and how valuable children’s workers are.”

The full list of year’s Childcare Stars 2006 winners were:

Sure Start Children’s Centre Team Of The Year

WINNER: Sure Start Carlisle South Children’s Centre, Carlisle

FINALIST: Sure Start Millmead Children’s Centre, Margate, Kent

Extended School Team Of The Year

WINNER: Wychall Primary School, Northfield, Birmingham

FINALIST: Tenbury High School, Tenbury Wells, Worcester

Prima Childcare Team Of The Year

WINNER: Buckinghamshire Community Childminding Network, High Wycombe

FINALIST: Snapdragons Nursery, Corsham, Wiltshire

Prima Baby Award For Early Years Childcarer Of The Year, in association with National Day Nurseries Association and Pre-school Learning Alliance

WINNER: Karen James, Kiddlywinks Pre-school Centre and Day Nursery, Penrith, Cumbria

FINALIST: Emma Sparrow, West Hoathly Community Pre-school, East Grinstead,
West Sussex

Childminder Of The Year, in association with National Childminding Association

WINNER: Kirti Kothari, Brent, London

FINALIST: Christine Dale, Brinnington, Stockport, Cheshire

Newcomer Of The Year

WINNER: Alan Payne, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire

FINALIST: Paul Caddick, Wellington, Somerset

SkillsActive Playworker Of The Year

WINNER: Jessica Veit, Forest YMCA, Waltham Forest, London

FINALIST: Esther Cumberbatch, Carlton Kids Out Of School Club, Carlton, Nottingham

Employer Of The Year For Staff Childcare Support

WINNER: Unilever UK

Municipal Journal Award For Best Achievement In Children’s Services

WINNER: Sunderland City Council

Wedgwood Lifetime Achievement Award

WINNER: Esther Rantzen

 

For more information contact:

Gavin Jones
Senior Press Officer
4Children
020 7522 6925
Gavin.jones@4Children.org.uk

Katherine Abbott
Head of Communications
4Children
020 7522 6928
Katherine.abbott@4Children.org.uk

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