ECIC Delaware

💙 Something exciting is coming for future CDA® scholars!

Are you ready to take the next step in your early childhood education career?

If you are a center-based or family child care educator in Delaware, complete the CDA® Support Interest Form to indicate your interest in an upcoming Child Development Associate® (CDA®) Comprehensive Cohort and receive future updates.

🔗 Complete the interest form:
https://vist.ly/5c5nn

Your CDA® journey could be next. Stay tuned!

💙 ECIC Voices: Tanuzy Anato-Martinez 💙
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We are proud to celebrate Tanuzy Anato-Martinez for earning her Child Development Associate® (CDA®) Credential with support from the Early Childhood Innovation Center.
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Tanuzy works at Latin American Community Center(LACC) in Delaware, where she has continued to build her knowledge and grow alongside colleagues who have supported her professional journey.
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In her words, she is grateful for “the opportunity they have given me” and for “a great team and wonderful colleagues from whom I have learned so much.”
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Earning her CDA® Credential is a milestone that holds special meaning for Tanuzy. She shared that it makes her “very happy” because it is helping her continue to grow professionally.
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Her achievement reflects the value of opportunity, encouragement, and continued learning in the early childhood profession. It also shows what is possible when educators are supported as they strengthen their skills and advance their careers.
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Congratulations, Tanuzy, on this important accomplishment. The ECIC is proud to be part of your journey. 💙
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📣 Interested in earning your CDA® Credential? Center-based and family child care educators can complete the CDA Support Interest Form to express interest in an upcoming cohort and take the next step in their professional journey.

🔗 Complete the interest form: https://vist.ly/5bysr

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Today, we’re celebrating two outstanding Delaware RISE scholars! 💙

Congratulations to Cherie Johnson (Winner, Family Child Care Educator Award) and Aaronasha Bruton-Gasby (Winner, Center-based Classroom Educator Award) on being featured in the University of Delaware’s Provider Spotlight.

We are proud to celebrate your well-deserved recognition and the meaningful impact you continue to make in the lives of Delaware’s youngest learners.

Thank you for your passion, leadership, and commitment to excellence in early childhood education.

Congratulations on this incredible achievement! 👏💙

In this month’s Provider Spotlight, we introduce the inspiring educators who were winners or runners-up in our 2026 DIEEC Excellence in Early Childhood Awards initiative.

Through responsive teaching, deep family partnerships, and peer mentorship, they are building the supportive communities our children need to grow and thrive. Discover their stories and celebrate their impact. https://dieec.udel.edu/provider-spotlight/meet-this-years-excellence-in-early-childhood-award-winners/

2026 Delaware RISE Scholarship Recognition Ceremony 🎓✨

On Saturday, July 11, 2026, the ECIC celebrated 251 early childhood professionals at the 2026 Delaware RISE Scholarship Recognition Ceremony.

Every name called represented determination, progress, and a major milestone: earning a Child Development Associate (CDA®) credential, Associate degree, or Bachelor’s degree.

The event was proudly sponsored by First Ascent and Kaplan Early Learning Company, whose partnership helped create a celebration worthy of our scholars and everything they worked so hard to achieve.

The ceremony may be over, but the moments are still worth celebrating.

📰 Read the full story: https://vist.ly/5b863

📸 More Pictures from the ceremony: https://vist.ly/5b864

✨ Find your photobooth favorites(Password 0711):
https://boothpics.com/V8B5

Independence Day Closure Notice

In observance of Independence Day, the Early Childhood Innovation Center will be closed on Friday, July 3, 2026.

Normal operations will resume on Monday, July 6, 2026.

We wish our scholars, partners, educators, families, and community members a safe and meaningful Independence Day weekend.

ECIC Voices: Dominique Barrett 💙

“The influence of a great teacher can never be erased.”

It is a belief Dominique Barrett carries into her work each day at Cadence Academy Preschool in Odessa, where she supports children ages 3–5 as they learn, explore, build friendships, and begin to understand what they can do.

In early childhood classrooms, the biggest impact is often found in the smallest moments: helping a child find the words to express a feeling, encouraging them to try again, celebrating a new skill, or creating a space where they feel safe enough to be themselves.

The journey gave Dominique more than a credential. It gave her new confidence, deeper knowledge of how young children grow and learn, and practical tools she can carry into every interaction with the children in her care.

Now, this milestone opens another door in a career rooted in purpose: continuing to grow, advancing in the field, and making a difference that reaches far beyond the classroom.

Congratulations to Dominique on earning her CDA® credential. The care, commitment, and growth she brings to her work today will stay with the children she serves long after these early years.