Edwina Lovett is among six finalists representing programs in Powder Springs, Union City, Milton, Woodstock, Lawrenceville, and Savannah
The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) and the Georgia Foundation for Early Care + Learning have named Edwina Lovett of Savannah as a finalist for Georgia’s Early Childhood Educators of the Year for 2025–2026. The program recognizes outstanding early education teachers of children ages birth to preschool.
Lovett works as a lead teacher at a Family Child Care Learning Home. Joining Lovett are finalists Gloria Linley who works at Towne Lake Academy, South Campus in Woodstock; Nahema Augustin who works in a Family Child Care Learning Home in Powder Springs; Sharada Vandanam of Montessori Scholars Academy in Milton; Kenyetta Robinson of Lifetime Youth Learning Center in Union City; and Gleydis Estrada who works in a Family Child Care Learning Home in Lawrenceville.
Each finalist will receive $500 from the Georgia Foundation for Early Care + Learning. The three ultimate winners, who will be announced in December, will each receive $3,000 for their personal use, $2,000 for a classroom makeover, and up to $2,500 for their school to cover travel costs and stipends for substitute teachers as the teacher fulfills their duties as Georgia’s Early Childhood Educators of the Year (www.decal.ga.gov). Winners serve as ambassadors for Georgia’s Early Childhood Educators of the Year program through modeling effective classroom practices and public speaking appearances. Child care program directors from across the state nominate teachers through an online application. Winners are selected from six finalists based on a classroom observation and an interview with a panel of early childhood experts…