Kindergarten teacher recognized as Early Childhood Champion

MISSOULA – During the Week of the Young Child April 2 – 8, Healthy Start Missoula recognized Seeley Lake Elementary Kindergarten Teacher Sheila Devins during the Early Childhood Champion Award Celebration. Devins was among five recipients this year who were honored for their excellence in supporting young children and their families working in direct service (child care providers, home visitors, etc.), as advocates, as volunteers, or as an entire organization.

For the past five years, Healthy Start Missoula has recognized community members that have gone above and beyond to help children in their early years with the Early Childhood Advocate Award, Early Childhood Direct Service Award, Early Childhood Volunteer Award and Exceptional Early Childhood Organization Award.

"[We realize] that people that work with young children don't often get recognized and it takes a lot of skill to do it well," said Anna Semple, coordinator with Healthy Start Missoula, an early childhood coalition through the Missoula City-County Health Department. "We want to elevate the profession and really honor the excellent people we have in the community."

Grace Decker, Zero to Five Missoula County at the United Way of Missoula County, nominated Devins for the Early Childhood Champion Award. The Champion Award recognizes an individual, group or agency that has been a champion for young children and families in Missoula, or surrounding areas, in the past year. Decker is a University of Montana Early Childhood Fellow with Devins.

In her nomination letter, Decker highlighted Devins work and contributions including: Head Start Home Visitor, membership on the task force that developed the Montana Early Learning Guidelines (2004 and 2014) and a classroom teacher - prekindergarten 1996-2015, fifth grade 2009-10, kindergarten 2015-18, 2019-21, first grade 2018-19 and currently kindergarten. Devins also holds a Masters of Arts in education and was an early adopter and participant in both the Kindergarten Entry Assessment and the Early Learning Fellows. Devins is also nationally board certified.

"Sheila's entire career has been spent working with and on behalf of young children and families. It's unusual that someone works in as many different roles across the early childhood years as Sheila has," Decker wrote. "She continues to grow as a professional and to seek out ways to build developmentally appropriate practices into the public school environment, especially around social-emotional learning."

Semple said Devins was the first elementary school teacher to be nominated for the award. Semple said often times early childhood and the K-12 system are not as connected as they could be.

"Sheila really shows that she is dedicated to making that bridge happen and has been involved throughout her career in a number of childhood focused initiatives statewide and locally," Semple said.

Semple added another reason Devins stood out was because of the amount of time she has gone above and beyond. 

 "Just being an excellent teacher is one thing, but choosing to be a part of these bigger initiatives that you don't have to be a part of that further that bridge from childcare and preschool into the education K-12 system," Semple said. "Not a lot of teachers go that extra mile over and over again."

Through the competitive process, a committee of childcare and early education professionals, social service and family support professionals, volunteerism expert and a maternal mental health private practice therapist chose Devins to receive the Early Childhood Champion Direct Service Award.

"The wide variety of ways that Sheila has engaged in the early childhood system, as well as the additional effort she has put into reaching out to early childhood-related initiatives is the reason she was selected above the other Direct Service candidates," Semple said.

Devins was recognized during a Zoom Awards Presentation Monday, April 4 hosted by Healthy Start Missoula along with four other award winners:

• Early Childhood Advocate Direct Service Award: Grace Decker, Zero to Five Missoula County at the United Way of Missoula County.

• Early Childhood Career of Direct Service Award: Deboruah Madonna, who has been with the Watson Children's Shelter for 34 years.

• Early Childhood Volunteer Award: Rachel Laughnan, CASA Volunteer.

• Early Childhood Organization Award: Quilts 4 Kids/Missoula Quilters Guild.

"I feel really thankful to be in that company and I'm really honored," Devins said recognizing the other award winners and their accomplishments. "I also feel really thankful and honored that parents put their trust in me with their children. I'm always honored by that."

Devins added that as an educator, she does not always know how she is helping individuals.

"The little things are big things for children sometimes," Devins said.

Devins credits her lifelong mentor Leeann Kingston for her guidance and instilling in her many of the teaching techniques and practices she utilizes today.

"She is just the best," Devins said. "Hats off to her."

Devins also thanked Decker for her nomination and appreciates everything she does for Zero to Five in Missoula County as well as with Devins as a University Fellow.

Each awardee received a plaque and are listed on Healthy Start Missoula's website. They will also be highlighted throughout the week on social media and the website.

Healthy Start Missoula accepts nominations every year for the awards in February More information can be found on their website http://www.healthystartmissoula.org