Lancaster, PA (May 23, 2007) – Three area businesses were recognized for their work in supporting families and providing quality early child care and education at the Success By 6 Early Care and Learning Awards Dinner at Millersville University Wednesday night.

“We are here to celebrate the community of child care professionals who make it possible for parents to go work or school knowing their children are thriving in a safe and nurturing learning environment,” said Susan C. Eckert, President of United Way of Lancaster County. Eckert added that the evening also provided an opportunity to bring attention to the issue of quality early care as a sound investment in the future of Lancaster County.

Brethren Village Child Care Center, one of Hildebrandt Learning Centers’ 30 employer-sponsored child care centers, received the Child Care Center Award for excellence in the care it provides to the families who use its services. Hildebrandt opened its first center in 1991 at Lancaster Laboratories and is one of Pennsylvania’s leaders in developing and operating employer-related child care centers. Director Darlene Miller has helped Brethren Village Day Care Center become a National Association for the Education of the Young Child accredited, Keystone STAR 4 program. By providing professional development opportunities, Brethren Village Day Care Center has been successful at retaining employees; the average child care professional has been employed there for five years.

The Family/Group Child Care Provider Award was presented to Marisol Malavé, recipient of the first Keystone STAR 2 designation in Lancaster County. Ms. Malavé recently received her Child Development Association certificate from HACC and completed the ASSETS of Lancaster training program, building business skills to complement her professional development in early care and education.

The Carol D. Hess Children’s Champion Award was presented to a Lancaster County employer who has shown the greatest sensitivity to the needs of its employees and community regarding children and child care. The honor is named for Carol D. Hess, who has been recognized nationally and locally for her work at Lancaster Laboratories where she led efforts to develop a family-friendly workplace.

Ms. Hess presented the award to Covance, Inc. In addition to offering flexible work hours and job sharing, Covance, Inc. allows employees to donate paid time off to other employees who are dealing with a family crisis through an Emergency Paid Time Off Bank. Covance, Inc. has also demonstrated its dedication to children and families on a global scale. In celebration of its 10th anniversary as a publicly traded company, the company has committed to building five child care centers in Rwanda, Africa. Covance, Inc. is also a partner in the development of a vaccine for Human Papilloma Virus, which causes cervical cancer in women.

Bruce Clash, Pennsylvania director of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, delivered the evening’s keynote address. The leader of a statewide organization that brings together law enforcement officials and victims of violence to advocate for strategies that prevent youth from becoming criminals, Clash invited the child care professionals in attendance to add the role of crime fighter to the number of hats they already wear.

“A comprehensive approach to our crime problem must include public investments in quality pre-kindergarten, Head Start and educational childcare,” Clash said. “There are strong connections between the children we reach today and the number of juvenile and adult crimes (law enforcement leaders) will have to deal with tomorrow,” he added. Studies of programs like Michigan’s High/Scope Perry Preschool and Chicago’s publicly funded Child-Parent Centers indicate that low-income, at-risk children who do not attend pre-Kindergarten programs are substantially more likely to be arrested for a violent crime and are also more likely to become career offenders.

For more information on Success By 6 or the Early Care and Learning Awards, please call Pixie Berman, Director of Success By 6, at 394-0731.

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About Success By 6®: Success By 6 is comprised of more than 100 volunteers working to support and improve parenting skills; to increase children’s readiness when they enter school and to improve the quantity and quality of child care available to working parents in Lancaster County.