RELEASE: October 16, 2001

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The New Jersey Child Care Advisory Council has named educator and child care advocate Kay Gellert of Washington Township, Bergen County, to receive the 2001 Aletha Wright Award for Excellence in Early Care and Education.

Gellert will receive the award tomorrow during the Seventh Annual Aletha Wright Award Luncheon at 1 p.m. at Drumthwacket, 354 Stockton Street, Princeton.

"Kay Gellert is a tireless advocate for young children and their families," said Thomas Zsiga, chairman of the New Jersey Child Care Advisory Council. "During a career that has spanned more than 40 years, she has been passionate about the importance of early child care and education and has worked tirelessly and contributed in many different ways. I am pleased that she has been chosen to receive this year’s Aletha Wright Award."

Gellert’s many accomplishments include helping to convince Bergen County to establish an Office for Children, which is now the referring agency for the county handling all subsidy programs. She has also been involved with the Health and Welfare Council of Bergen County, the Policy Development Board, the New Jersey Statewide Coalition for Child Care and the Child Care Advisory council. She helped create the annual Health in Child Care Conference, which serves as a forum for dialog between the early child care and education community and the health care community. She also served as president for the Bergen County Child Care Coordinating Council.

The New Jersey Child Care Advisory Council was established in 1984 to advise and make recommendations on child care issues, policies and programs through the Department of Human Services and the Department of Community Affairs. The Council created the Aletha Wright Award to honor child care advocate and educator Aletha Wright (1949-1994), a charter member of the Council.

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