Outstanding Service Awards
Recognizing the leadership and talents of outstanding community members and employees of ABC Head Start Society.
ABC Head Start Recognition
Aleda Patterson Award
Aleda Patterson was the founder of ABC Head Start Society. Aleda was a visionary and an advocate who believed in empowering others to reach their full potential. She was a passionate and caring woman who felt a responsibility to give back to her community in any way that she could. Aleda had an extraordinary way of seeing the potential in others, she nurtured this potential and helped others realize their ability to create change.
This award is in recognition of Aleda’s contributions to the community of Edmonton which included her active involvement in her church, her leadership in the Personal Development Centre, which eventually became part of the Support Network and her role as founder and long term supporter of ABC Head Start. Through her passion for her community and her desire to facilitate change for vulnerable children and families, Aleda empowered others to embrace opportunities for positive change, both within their own lives and the larger community. This award is to honor the lifetime work of Aleda, and to recognize the outstanding contributions of others who embody her spirit of caring.
We would like to acknowledge and congratulate the recipients of the Aleda Patterson Award:
Ann Babb Germaine Chau Councillor Bev Esslinger Faith Page Martin Garber-Conrad Scott Cuthbert Sarah Mosaico
Ann Babb Outstanding Service Award
Ann Babb is a caring and compassionate woman who has a passion for education. She is a committed and hard working woman who has given 30 years of her life to empower children and families to succeed in the face of adverse conditions. She is a leader and a support for her friends, colleagues and co-workers and is committed to the work that she does. Ann has dedicated her career to supporting ABC Head Start’s success in the Edmonton-area through many adversities and challenges. She is an advocate and a champion in the area of early learning and care and her efforts have not gone unnoticed.
This award is in recognition of the work that Ann Babb has contributed to ABC Head Start, the staff and the families. Her tireless work effort and her immense compassion always make those around her feel welcome and empowered.
Recipients will receive a bursary of $1000 to apply to continuing education (includes Professional
Development that is directly related to the recipients current position). They will also receive a commemorative award.
We would like to acknowledge and congratulate the recipients of the Ann Babb Outstanding Service Award:
Shannon L. Keats Leidia Siffledeen Jennifer Robson Laura Raphael Laura Brompton Branna-Lea Baronasky Kim Lacusta Risa Ganpatt
Lindsey Zimmerman (2026 Winner)
Values in Action Awards
(formerly known as The Spirit of ABC Head Start)
For many years, The Spirit of ABC Head Start Awards have celebrated the individuals and teams who bring our shared values to life each day through their dedication, compassion, collaboration, and commitment to our community. As our organization continues to grow and evolve, so too does the way we recognize the incredible people who make this work possible.
Beginning in 2026, we are proud to introduce our new Values in Action Awards. This updated recognition program builds on the foundation of The Spirit of ABC Head Start while creating new opportunities to celebrate the meaningful ways our staff and teams demonstrate our values in their everyday work, relationships, and impact within the community.
While the name and structure may be evolving, the heart behind these awards remains the same:
honouring the people who help make ABC Head Start a supportive, inclusive, and inspiring place for children, families, staff, and community partners alike.
View our Values in Action Category PDF »
We would like to acknowledge and congratulate this years first Award Recipients of the Values in Action. One award was presented in each of the six areas at our annual Staff Appreciation Event:
Belong – Orbit Together for Stronger Connections
2026 Winner ~ Shana Katan
Award Citation: Shana consistently demonstrates the ability to work collaboratively and build meaningful relationships that create a supportive, inclusive, and connected environment. She is highly adaptable and flexible, readily stepping in wherever support is needed and working effectively with classroom staff, the Family Engagement team, and leadership. Her positive attitude, dependability, and willingness to assist others contribute significantly to a strong culture of teamwork and shared success.
Shana has built positive and respectful relationships with both coworkers and families, fostering trust, open communication, and collaboration. She is receptive to feedback and views it as an opportunity for growth, continually seeking ways to expand her knowledge and contribute to the team. Her proactive approach, including regularly checking in to offer assistance and seeking clarification when needed, demonstrates her commitment to supporting those around her.
In addition to reliably managing administrative, financial, health and safety, and busing responsibilities, Shana consistently supports classroom operations and helps ensure the smooth functioning of daily activities. She has shown initiative by taking on increased responsibilities, supporting technology needs, participating in health and safety practices, and maintaining flexibility with her schedule to meet team needs.
Shana's willingness to collaborate, support others, and contribute wherever needed makes her a valued team member. Her reliability, initiative, and dedication to building strong connections with colleagues and families strengthen our team and positively impact our program every day.
Empower – Fuel Potential to Reach New Heights
2026 Winners ~ Tara Denis & Amanda Breunig
Award Citation: I am nominating Tara for both Growth and Empower. Tara demonstrates growth on the daily by asking meaningful questions, reflecting on her practice, and offering solutions when engaged in discussions within her classroom team and during our prep days. Tara always makes sure to utilize her PD hours to better her understanding of therapy principles. In her most recent PD, she became certified to deliver an AAC partner training. She took the initiative to identify an area of need, and then propose the program to management. She piloted it with her immediate speech team, and currently the Northgate team.
Award Citation: Amanda truly lives the value of Empower – Fuel Potential to Reach New Heights in her role as a Teacher Team Lead. Since stepping into this position, she has built strong, positive relationships with her team and provides consistent support and mentorship to help teachers grow in confidence and skill.
She plays an important role in supporting the IPP process and bringing more consistency to practice across the program. Amanda is always willing to guide, encourage, and share her knowledge, helping teachers become the best they can be. Her supportive and approachable style creates an environment where people feel empowered to learn, improve, and succeed.
Tara's most recent endeavor is helping develop staff skills in AAC use. This is something that both SLAs and SLPs get minimal training in, despite being the "experts" in it. This program will not only help the speech team identify any areas of improvement, but will provide frontline staff with ongoing training and a person they can go to for help/questions. This is an amazing opportunity for ABC to be able to advertise that their speech team AND staff have completed (and in some cases will receive ongoing) structured AAC training. This is going to have a direct impact on our children and families by ensuring the AAC devices are being used to their full capacity in the classroom.
Integrity – Stay True to Our Mission
2026 Winners ~ Lauren Murphy & Amanda Grumbach
Award Citation: Lauren consistently demonstrates integrity through her honest, accountable, and values-driven approach to her work. She shows fairness and ethical decision-making in how she supports families, always ensuring that each interaction is respectful, transparent, and in alignment with ABC's mission.
An example of this is the level of care and effort she puts into supporting both current and incoming families in our preschool program. Lauren works diligently to ensure every family feels welcomed, informed, and supported, taking the time to do things properly rather than choosing quicker or easier paths. Her follow-through is exceptional, and she takes full accountability for her role in ensuring families have a positive and consistent experience.
Amanda demonstrates integrity in the way she shows up for every child in her care. Children naturally gravitate toward her gentle, grounded presence, as she creates an environment where they feel safe, respected, and valued. Despite having one of the most complex classrooms in the agency, Amanda approaches each day with patience and composure. She does not become frustrated or overwhelmed, rather, she meets challenges with empathy, professionalism, and a steady commitment to doing what is right for children and her team.
I recall observing her early in the school year with one of our most complex children during a moment of peak dysregulation. Amanda approached the child with a calm, soft, and
Lauren also demonstrates integrity through her collaborative approach. She works closely with resource staff, our other family engagement worker, and classroom teams, communicating openly and respectfully to ensure everyone is aligned and acting in the best interest of each child and family. This transparency builds trust among colleagues and strengthens team decision-making.
I feel that Lauren exemplifies integrity through her consistent actions, strong communication, and commitment to doing what is right, even when it requires extra time and effort.
Award Citation: I have no hesitation in recommending Amanda Grumbach for the Integrity – Stay True to Our Mission award. Although she has a calm and quiet demeanor, Amanda is a powerful and consistent leader whose actions reflect deep integrity, authenticity, and unwavering commitment to our mission.
reassuring voice that immediately shifted the tone of the interaction. Her response was not reactive, but intentional and grounded in respect. Through her presence, the child was able to feel safe and accepted, even in a moment of struggle. This example speaks directly to her ability to uphold our values, especially when it is not easy.
Growth – Sustain Momentum from Launch to Impact
2026 Winner ~ Val El Krich
Award Citation: I have seen substantial leadership growth from Val this year!
Val has developed into a mentor and leader to her peers, she created a welcoming and warm environment for new team members and worked through the challenges she had in a professional and collaborative manner. This exhibits substantial growth for Val and I am truly proud of the work she has done this year to grow into her role while maintaining a high level of quality in the programming she provides.
Amazing work Val, we are so lucky to have you on the team!
Collaboration – Connected by Purpose, Propelled by Teamwork
2026 Winners ~ Grace Brockie & Jacqueline Borrowman
Award Citations: Grace is always a positive smile in the classrooms, all the children interact with her even when they are not on her case load.
Many times Grace has been found helping out coworkers where an extra hand was needed. For the second year in a row Grace has stepped up to help ensure all families receive cute photos of their children graduating kindergarten. She has been seen steaming the grad gowns to ensure they are in mint shape because I have heard her say the kids and families only deserve the best.
Grace is always jumping up to lend a hand when we need extra hands to help settle a child, she has been seen reading to children in a quiet corner because they just need a quiet space.
Award Citations: Jacqui is always offering to help a staff member who may need an extra hand. She is always one of the first to jump up and offer support to a class who needs extra hands.
She takes great pride in her job and is always starting conversations with new staff to the site. Jacqui is always living the values of this agency, she can be found always encouraging the staff. She is great when she talks about her job and all the positive growth the children are making.
For the second year in a row Jacqui has offered to help with the site graduation pictures. She takes such pride in creating beautiful frames for the photos, she brings her good camera and takes all the pictures with grace and then she goes and gets them all printed just to ensure families have that wonder memory.
Awards of the Past
The Spirit of ABC Head Start
In May 2016, we launched The Spirit of ABC Head Start, a shared commitment and accountability to the shared values and environment we wanted to create and work in together. To assist us in making this commitment a deliberate part of day to day work and interactions with each other, individual and team/group awards have been established based on the six key areas of the Spirit of ABC Head Start.
View The Spirit of ABC Head Start PDF →
We would like to acknowledge and congratulate the past Award Recipients of the Spirit of ABC Head Start. One award was presented in each of the six areas at each annual Staff Appreciation Event:
WE EMBRACE DIVERSITY – Josh Galarido & Sibilia Afrim (2025’s winners), Laurie Nichol, Paula Durrani, Branna-Lea Baronasky & Roxanne Zowtuk, Corrie Rogoski, Lindsay Zimmerman
WE CREATE OUR ENVIRONMENT – Kaylan Scott (2025’s winner), Jennifer Robson, Bree Litrop, Serena Desjarlais & Samantha Reidy, Lindsay Zimmerman, Heather Gillis
WE FOSTER STRONG RELATIONSHIPS – Annica Flemming (2025’s winner), Maria Elena Carballo-Pineda, Amanda Breunig, Cammi DeLuca & Laurie Kanerva, Bree Litrop, Sadia Ibrahim
WE COMMUNICATE CLEARLY – Susan Tooke (2025’s winner), Christina Sand, Alyson Herbst, Megan Donnelly, Kim Lacusta, Giselle Johma
WE ASSUME POSITIVE INTENT – Aparna Mahay (2025’s winner), Shannon L. Keats, Emily Ratcliffe, Donita Rampersaud, Shana Katan, Leidia Siffledeen
WE CHOOSE OUR ATTITUDE – Shawna Piercy (2025’s winner), Karen Marsh, Denise Stacey & Ashleigh Haines, Bree Litrop & Priscilla Vohr, Leida Siffledeen, Mill Woods Team