Johnny Awards

The CHEERS School Family Johnny Awards emphasize the importance of customer service.

Staff viewed a video about a young man, Johnny, who changed his work place for the better by intentionally trying to make a difference in the lives of his customers. CHEERS’ staff is challenged to look for opportunities to be a “Johnny” to parents and their coworkers. Parents are asked to write a short nomination letter describing how a staff member made a difference to them. Each month, the executive committee will review the nominations and choose a winner. The ‘Johnny Award’ winner will receive a certificate of appreciation along with a $50 check, personally funded by the board.

November Winners:

No submissions.

October Winners:

Ms. Trisha, Children First

I just wanted to put in a nomination for the Johnny Award.  The person I am nominating is Trisha James.  Over the past few years that my children have attended the school, they alway look forward to seeing Miss Trisha.  She is excellent with the children and always has a smile on her face.  She is very patient and I feel like she is always flexible in doing what is best for the school.  I know I always hear other parents talking about how their children love Miss Trisha.  My son is still at Children’s first but my daugher is not there anymore.  The one person she always wants to find when we pick up her brother is Miss Trisha.  I wish I had a particular story to tell about her but she has been consistently good with the children over the past few years that she has been at the school.

Ms. Debbie, Heritage
I would like to nominate Mrs. Debbie. Even though Brilynn is no longer in her class she is most helpful and loving to my child. Every day when I come to pick up Brilynn, and pass by the infant room, Mrs. Debbie is always there to say bye to Brilynn, gives hugs and kisses and Brilynn just adores her. She is so sweet and just a great teacher.

September Winners:

Ms. Sarah, Children First

I would like to nominate Ms. Sarah for the Johnny Award. She is new to our school and my son, Nicholas, loves her. He gets so excited because she sits and plays with them. He saw a Little Bill show on TV and wanted to write a letter to someone special to see if they would get it. I asked him who and he stated Ms. Sarah. He asked her for her address and drew her a picture (it was Goofy) and wrote “Your a Great Teacher!  Love, Nicholas”. It is nice to see someone that will get down and spend quality time not just teaching, but playing with the kids, also. We have two great teachers in Preschool II and Nicholas really loves going to school.

Ms. Amanda, Heritage

I’d like to nominate Ms. Amanda from the PSII room for a Johnny Award.
She is always and has always giving the kids her full attention and
most of all always giving lots of TLC for those bad days. She goes
above and beyond from carrying my sons blanket in her back pocket to
holding him until I get there when he’s sick to always carry around
his chap stick to help us keep his lips from bleeding in the winter.
She is an outstanding young lady and we love her.

She deserves the acknowledgment and this award.

August Winners:

Ms. Danielle, Children First

I would like to nominate Danielle Slacker for the August 2009 Johnny Award for the Children First CDC facility.  Danielle and all of the CFCDC staff have always been very helpful and attentive to my questions or concerns.

Recently, my youngest child had a tonsillectomy and was on a restrictive diet due to the sensitivity of her throat after surgery.  Danielle was kind enough to provide me with two weeks worth of menus for my daughter’s doctor to review.  Unfortunately, he marked off a significant number of items from the menu.  Danielle was not daunted at all when I discussed the menus with her.  She was very receptive and said that she would discuss the situation with the cook and work with her on providing my daughter with a menu that would provide a variety of soft items for her to eat.  She was even considerate enough to call me at home to inquire as to my daughter’s preference for several items that they were considering for her specialized menu.  This extra step meant a lot to me and it was beyond just “good” customer service.

In today’s world, it is very hard to find even “good” customer service or employees who care about the service that they provide.  Danielle has always exhibited many positive qualities in my dealings with her.  However, her actions in this situation involved providing excellent customer service and alleviated my concerns regarding my daughter’s return to childcare.

Thank you for considering this nomination for Danielle.

July Winners:

Ms. Danielle, Children First, & Ms. Kriss, Children First - The Board added Ms. Kriss because she is the Chef out at CFCDC and her help was instrumental as well in this child being supported.

I would like to nominate Danielle Slacker for the August 2009 Johnny Award for the Children First CDC facility.  Danielle and all of the CFCDC staff have always been very helpful and attentive to my questions or concerns.

Recently, my youngest child had a tonsillectomy and was on a restrictive diet due to the sensitivity of her throat after surgery.  Danielle was kind enough to provide me with two weeks worth of menus for my daughter’s doctor to review.  Unfortunately, he marked off a significant number of items from the menu.  Danielle was not daunted at all when I discussed the menus with her.  She was very receptive and said that she would discuss the situation with the cook and work with her on providing my daughter with a menu that would provide a variety of soft items for her to eat.  She was even considerate enough to call me at home to inquire as to my daughter’s preference for several items that they were considering for her specialized menu.  This extra step meant a lot to me and it was beyond just “good” customer service.

In today’s world, it is very hard to find even “good” customer service or employees who care about the service that they provide.  Danielle has always exhibited many positive qualities in my dealings with her.  However, her actions in this situation involved providing excellent customer service and alleviated my concerns regarding my daughter’s return to childcare.

Thank you for considering this nomination for Danielle.

June Winners:

Ms. Tabby, Children First

I locked my keys in the car yesterday afternoon.  Ms. Tabby called a friend that has a tow-truck to help get me in.  Unfortunately he was unavailable.  Ms. Tabby waited with me and the boys until Bill was able to get to the Center to unlock the car.  It was at least 20 minutes.  I really appreciated her waiting with me  I definitely think she went above and beyond!

Ms. Lee, Heritage

I would like to nominate Ms. Lee in the Waddler Room for all her hard work in helping Philip adjust to his new room and helping him gain confidence in walking!!

April Winner:

Mr. Marc, Heritage

Mr. Marc has known Emma since day 1…Emma started there in the infant room.  He took special care of her when she was sick, she wouldn’t let anybody hold her except for Mr. Marc.  From that day on, I just knew he was a special guy because of they way he adores children.  He is such a joy to see in the morning, always greeting Emma and myself.  He will always remain special in Emma’s heart and mine.

March Winners:

Ms. Lee, Heritage

Campbell had a very serious eye infection. She woke up on Tuesday morning and her right eye was swollen shut. No discharge, no redness, just swollen. I took her to the dr and she had what is called Preseptal Cellulitis. When treated quickly and accurately it is cured quickly (which it was) but it can also lead to a very serious illness.

I was very upset when I dropped Caleb off. Ms Lynn and Ms Stephanie told Ms Lee that Campbell wasn’t feeling well. She (Ms Lee) had all the children in both the Waddler and Toddler room make a big poster for Campbell. Not only did she do that but she also called our home to check on us (I had given her our number previously). She only had a few minutes because she was calling on a long distance calling card but she made a point to call because she was worried about her. I was so touched by her thoughtfulness and I think this is definitely over and beyond. It is good to know that others care so much for your children.
Ms. Heather, Children First

I wanted to thank you again for cleaning up Taylor (and her mess) when she was sick.  You really had to do the ‘dirty work’!  You went above the call of duty when you took her icky clothes (that I forgot!) home to wash them!!  You are wonderful! 

February Winners:

Ms. Pat, Children First

Please accept this letter as my official nomination of Ms. Pat for the Johnny award, as her service to Children First and its families far exceeds the requirements of the job.

Ms. Pat is the epitome of great attitude and is very dedicated to taking good care of our children. From the moment that you arrive in the morning (6:30 for several of us), you are greeted with a smile. Her positive attitude sets the tone for the entire day and makes you feel comfortable as a parent leaving your child. Kids are not always the easiest people to interact with in the mornings. They are usually still tired from the evening before and often quite cranky because they would rather sleep late and just play with their toys all day at home. Ms. Pat makes the transition very smooth for parents in the morning. She is excellent at distracting the kids with fun activities, which eases the struggle many of our children still experience with separation anxiety.

In Preschool I, she does an excellent job caring for the children. You can always count on her to recount the previous day’s events for you, especially when they exhibit mature behaviors or hysterical actions. This is very comforting as parent because it helps to assure you that your child is happy and developing properly at the center.

Even the families whose children don’t interact with Ms. Pat personally still benefit from her exceptional dependability and dedication to Children First. She always opens the center on-time, which is especially helpful when you follow a tight schedule in the morning. She keeps a close watch on the weather and roads to make she that all the staff and children arrive safely to the center and is always willing to go above beyond for parents who need to drop their children for extended hours.

Children First has definitely benefited from her phenomenal work ethic and service to the center.

Ms. Merit, Heritage - Two nominations

1. My nomination for the next Johnny Award is Merit.  Since the first day Harry moved to her class in September, she has been extremely helpful and supportive.  In particular, each morning she makes a big effort to make Harry feel extra special when he arrives in the classroom.  She knows just the right things to say to help him feel less anxious when I leave, each and every day.I could sing more praises about Merit, but what I’ve noted above means the most to me.  And above all, I look forward to seeing her each morning, knowing that Harry is happy and safe in her care.  Shelagh
2. I would like to nominate Meritt for the award. She always so kind to Elizabeth. Once when Lizzie forgot her blanket, Merit let her use her stuffed animal. It is easy to see that she truly cares about Elizabeth.

January Winners:

Ms. Beth, Children First - Two nominations

1. I wanted to submit my recommendation for the Johnny Award.  I nominate Mrs. Beth from the Toddler Room.  I feel like she has gone above and beyond over the past few months.  For example, she has been very creative with the Toddler Room bulletin board.  I can tell that she really put a lot of thought and hard work into these each month.   She also started a new way to reward the children for little good deeds that do each day.  These are called “Snaps” and each child has their own snap cup.  When I pick my son up in the evening, he is always excited for me to check his snap cup.  Mrs. Beth has had changes in staff in her classroom over the past few months.  She always keeps the class on schedule and goes with the flow to make these changes seamless.My son loves coming to school to see Mrs. Beth and that means the world to me.  I feel that she has done an excellent job in this classroom.  She always has a smile on her face which I am sure can be hard at times when dealing with 2 year olds on a daily basis .
2. I wanted to let you know how excited we are about Ms. Beth’s ‘Oh Snap!’ board!  I know as a teacher how much effort it takes to recognize each child and I’s so excited to peek in Taylor’s cup each day.  Thanks Beth for going to extra mile!

Ms. Debbie, Heritage CDC

I am writing to nominate Debbie for the Customer Service Award.  Debbie has been helping me in the evenings with my children.  My younger son is going through a phase where he doesn’t want to hold hands when walking out to the car and he sometimes ‘breaks free’ of my hold and runs around.  I have two children so it makes it difficult when they are going in two different directions.  Debbie has been helping me walk the children safely to our car.  With time, I am hopeful they will learn the importance of safety and holding hands when leaving the building.  Debbie has been a tremendous help in getting us to the car safely.  Thanks again to Debbie and to Heritage for offering the help to me.