The following statement was read today by the Honourable Tom Osborne, Minister of Education:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in this Honourable House to extend congratulations to Ocean Whelan of St. John’s, recipient of the first annual “Joanne Juteau Early Childhood Education Scholarship”.

The Association of Early Childhood Educators of Newfoundland and Labrador (AECENL) presented the award to Ms. Whelan today during Early Childhood Educators Week, which acknowledges and celebrates the crucial role early childhood educators play in the lives of children.

Ms. Whelan is graduating from the College of the North Atlantic’s full-time ECE Diploma program this spring with a 4.0 GPA, while balancing being a mother to a young child, working part-time in a regulated child care setting and volunteering.

Joanne Juteau, the namesake for the award, was known for her contributions to the Early Learning and Child Care Sector, inspiring and providing support to many Early Childhood Educators within the field. Ms. Juteau spent time as a child care centre administrator, an ECE instructor, and most recently with the Department of Education as regional manager.

Ms. Juteau passed away unexpectedly last year, and her loss is felt keenly amongst her colleagues in the department. I would like to thank AECENL for this fitting tribute to her legacy.

I ask all Honourable members to join me in congratulating Ocean Whelan and thanking early childhood educators for their dedication and commitment to providing essential support to families throughout the year and more importantly during this unprecedented time.

Thank you.