Home Hot Topics Articles Directors' Choice Awards About Us / Contact Us Music for Learning Activities & Curriculum Arts & Crafts Activities for Outcome-Based Learning Sharing Boards: What Do YOU Think? NEWSlink Current National News Conference Calendar Topics In Early Childhood Education Art and Creativity in Early Childhood Education State Licensing Requirements If you're a product manufacturer and would like to receive more information about Directors' Choice Click Here Quick Links: Winner Benefits / Judges’ Selection / Evaluation and Judging / Judging Categories Enter Your Product / Ship Product Entries / Entry Rules / Past Winners About Directors' Choice (PDF) Each year, Earlychildhood NEWS recognizes excellence in products for young children through the Directors’ Choice Award program. Child care professionals depend on Earlychildhood NEWS for relevant and timely information and look to Earlychildhood NEWS for ways to better their child care centers. They know that products bearing the Earlychildhood NEWS Directors’ Choice seal have received solid, unbiased appraisal and have been deemed excellent educational resources for the child care setting. If your product is chosen as an Earlychildhood NEWS Directors’ Choice award winner, you will receive: Editorial feature in a special supplement of winning products in EarlychildhoodNEWS.com The distinctive Earlychildhood NEWS Directors’ Choice Award for display Unlimited use of the award seal on products, in catalogs, and in advertising A color tabletop display sign for use at conventions Display of your product to more than 25,000 attendees at the 2007 National Association for the Education of Young Children Conference and accompanying award presentation at a reception held in Chicago this November From the Directors’ Choice Award winners in all categories, which will be announced in advance, the judges choose a limited group of products that truly stand out from all the winners. This group – the best of the best - is the Judges’ Selection: Outstanding Products for 2007. The winners will be announced for the first time at the Directors’ Choice Reception at the National Association for the Education of Young Children held in November in Chicago, IL. Evaluation of products is made by a distinguished panel of early childhood experts and child care directors selected by the editorial staff of Earlychildhood NEWS. There is no limit to the number of winning products in a particular category, nor is there a guarantee that each category will include a winner. Each product is evaluated on its own merit based on the following criteria: Appropriateness for use in a child care setting Safety Durability Appropriateness for stated age range Effectiveness for intended use Value Each entrant will receive judges' feedback following winner notification. Products are accepted in the following categories: Submit one copy each: Arts and Crafts Materials Assessment Tools Administrative and/or Professional Development Teachers’ Resources Curriculum Children's Books Infant/Toddler Products Furniture Play Equipment Toys/Games Other (please contact Barbara Atkinson, Managing Editor at 831-333-5771) Submit six copies each: DVDs CDs Each product submitted must be accompanied by the following items: Entry Form - complete one entry form for each product submitted. Make sure to include the appropriate number of product copies for the category. You may make additional copies for additional submissions. A $200 entry fee (check or money order payable to Earlychildhood NEWS). If for any reason your entry fee is being sent under separate cover, please call Barbara Atkinson, Managing Editor, at 831-333-5771. A color photograph or digital file of the product. Press release or description of the item. Earlychildhood NEWS Directors’ Choice Awards 2 Lower Ragsdale, Suite 125 Monterey, CA 93940 Correspondence: Barbara Atkinson Earlychildhood NEWS Directors’ Choice Awards 2 Lower Ragsdale, Suite 125 Monterey, CA 93940 831-333-5771 831-333-2583 Fax Entries postmarked by May 31, 2007 Judging July 2007 Winner notification August 2007 Media packets delivered to winners September 2007 Winning products featured on Earlychildhood NEWS October 2007 Awards presented to winners & Judges’ Selection winners announced at NAEYC November 2007 Product Entries must have been released between May 1, 2006 and May 5, 2007. Entries for audiocassettes and CDs, computer software, and video products must be accompanied with six copies of the product. Any submitted computer software program needing special peripherals (e.g., synthesized keyboards, specific speech cards) must include those peripherals. Peripherals will be returned. Products which have been previous winners of the Earlychildhood NEWS Directors’ Choice award are not eligible. Revised editions or versions of products which have repackaged as new products are eligible for entry. Actual products must be sent. No photographs, slides, or videos of the product will be accepted. A product that cannot be properly evaluated due to the nature of design will be returned and the entry fee refunded. Entries must be postmarked no later than May 31, 2007. Entries will not be returned. All products will be donated to a non-profit child care center after the judging process. A $200 entry fee is required for each product entered to cover the cost of judging, processing products and entry forms, and notifying winners. Charlesbridge Publishing Community Playthings Gryphon House, Inc. HighReach Learning Kimbo Educational Rounder Records Thomson Delmar Learning

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